What is Digg?208 Comments
- pygmy, on 10/26/2009, -1/+89Reminds me I need to change the headlight fluid
- idarkiswordi, on 10/26/2009, -1/+70Myth: Cars entirely too complex to understand and should always be taken to a mechanic for servicing.
Reality: Pick up a copy of your cars mechanic's manual. They usually cost around $25 and provide invaluable information regarding everything about your car from rebuilding the engine to replacing the radio. Certainly, some things should be left to the professionals and many other things require specialized tools that are too costly for a consumer to own. However, most common problems and maintenance needs with cars are user serviceable for little to no cost when compared to bringing it to a mechanic. If you have the most common of tools (socket set, screw driver set, hammer) then you will be set.
-As a second benefit to owning your cars mechanic's manual, there is usually a large section on troubleshooting your cars problems. This section will give you a good place to start when describing your cars problem to a mechanic and more importantly it will help you know if you are getting an unfair deal. - Smyley, on 10/26/2009, -0/+45I just google my car problems. Much in the same way I do that to fix my computer. 90% of the time it works.
- acrodev, on 10/26/2009, -5/+47Can I sell you some meteor insurance? You seem to like to throw money at the wrong issues.
- troy1of2, on 10/26/2009, -0/+39That's right! I'm still running summer air in mine. Time to switch over to winter air.
- chinaman1212, on 10/26/2009, -0/+38Dont forget to change the air in your tires.
- adml_shake, on 10/26/2009, -0/+30You should also change it in your blinkers and tail lights while your at it. And it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to pick up some new muffler bearings if your already going to the parts store.
- Sergej, on 10/26/2009, -9/+34If my parents can't figure out how to right-click a mouse, I certainly don't want to rely on their servicing their own car to keep four thousand pounds of steel from careening down a crowded highway.
- DeadFox1, on 10/26/2009, -0/+24Every 300,000 revolutions
- hauntedchippy, on 10/26/2009, -0/+22Go for the Halogen fluid, I hear it's brighter than regular.
- acknotSW, on 10/26/2009, -0/+21My battery pump is almost shot and my muffler bearing is getting loud. Time to get out the old metric screw driver and fix that crap.
- Dynamoo, on 10/26/2009, -4/+22Something that often amuses me is the US attitude to changing the oil every few thousand miles. In Europe, the oil generally only gets changed when the car is serviced, typically 10-15,000 miles or once a year. It's not that the engines are significant different, and in the case of global manufacturers they are probably identical. Sure, you should *check* the oil regularly.. and I bet a lot of people don't bother doing that!
- thephosphorbox, on 10/26/2009, -0/+16I've owned 6 cars in my lifetime so far and owner's manual for every one recommended an oil change every 5,000 miles. I've always adhered to that rule and I've never had an oil-related issue with any of my vehicles.
- Smyley, on 10/26/2009, -7/+23My dad is bad with computers, but he's been a mechanic his entire life. Just because you're bad with computers doesn't mean you can't do anything mechanical.
- jaytek13, on 10/26/2009, -4/+20Under that logic that why not get an oil change every 2k? Every 1K? 3k may be the magic number invented by the oil change companies, and they've certainly done a good job of drilling it into our heads, but if it's not necessary, it's not necessary.
- DeadFox1, on 10/26/2009, -0/+15I bought a Helm's service manual for my car that cost me about $60. It was the best $60 I ever spent (not counting money spent at strip clubs obviously.)
- bossm4n, on 10/26/2009, -0/+15Having worked for a company with an R&D facility for a major motor oil retailer, where they test not only their own products, but their rivals, the short answer regarding oil changes is, yes your oil will last more than 3k miles. Like the article said, that 3k recommendation is based on fairly extreme conditions like constant stop and go driving, heat, dust, etc. And of course the oil retailers and the quick oil change companies all want to keep you on that schedule, it keeps them in business.
As far as the oil is concerned though, basically, it's all about an oils ability to maintain viscosity and lubricate all the moving parts in the engine preventing wear. The various contaminants that build up over time/miles in the oil are as much a reason to change the oil as the wear factor. In most cases, waiting 4,500-5,000 miles to change your oil is perfectly fine. Almost all major brands of motor oil will protect your engine well beyond that number, but they don't want you to know that. - Sergej, on 10/26/2009, -10/+24Yeah, but he's BEEN A MECHANIC HIS ENTIRE LIFE.
I'm trying to say that I don't trust the same people who can't figure out a simple two-button device's full intricacies to properly understand and follow the complications of a multi-piston combustion engine and all it's accompanying accouterments. Regardless of how detailed the instructions are. Hell, I wouldn't trust them with a $9.99 IKEA table. - Dynamoo, on 10/26/2009, -2/+15Because it's expensive, time-consuming, wasteful and unnecessary?
- lycaon824, on 10/26/2009, -4/+17They took our jobs!
- s4g4n, on 10/26/2009, -4/+16- Never buy the Dealer's extended warranty.
- DuneAdx, on 10/26/2009, -1/+12Over the life of a 150k mile car, that's 50 oil changes verses 20. At $20 an oil change, that's $600 you just wasted.
That's also 30 extra times you are trusting the kid at the service station not to ***** up. (I change my own oil, but I've heard plenty of horror stories) - pjpete, on 10/26/2009, -3/+13Where are you going for a $20 oil change? I haven't paid that little since the 90's
- sh0em0nkey, on 10/26/2009, -1/+11Being a certified ASE mechanic, this is a list I can agree with, and give it a thumbs up.
There are some things that are arguable and situational, but for the most part, this article is dead on.
Myth: Engine oil should be changed every 3,000 miles.
Reality: Circumstantial. For one, it depends on various factors of driving conditions, like the article mentions. But what they fail to mention is dates. Oil viscosity degrades over time. If you haven't reached the manufactures recommended mileage interval, than a 3 to 4 month interval should be followed.
Myth: If regular-grade fuel is good, premium must be better.
Reality: Circumstantial. Depends on the car, really. Some engines, altitudes being driven, air content, and other factors means your engine can benefit using premium grade fuel. Some cars are more prone to gunk up in the fuel system and the cylinder head - using premium fuel combats that. Also, the newer high compression four bangers (Honda/GM) do a lot better with premium grade fuel, and even get better gas mileage when using the higher octane.
Myth: Let your engine warm up for several minutes before driving.
Reality: This is an old and antiqued practice, for yesteryear's cars. But no matter how "new" you car is, you should give it a minute or two before driving. This is to bring the oil pressure up, and actually do it's job. It also helps the computer control the engine idle better during warm-up procedures. Several minutes? Unnecessary. A minute or so? Recommended. - Jones82, on 10/26/2009, -0/+9I don't even use oil
- wassim2k, on 10/26/2009, -1/+10Go in for a quick 10-minute oil change; come out 45 minutes later with clean fuel injector system, new air filter, rotated tires, nitrogen in the tires, synthetic oil, and coolant system flushed.
- acknotSW, on 10/26/2009, -1/+10I have a 2002 4cyl ford ranger with 160,000 miles and it still gets 27 to 32 MPG highway. Oil changed every 7500 to 10000 miles using quality oil of whatever type was on sale that week. The old 3000 mile oil changes were probably a good idea when we used carburetors and distributers (used springs and weights to adjust ignition timing), but today's fuel injection and electronic ignition timing systems burn so much cleaner that gas and carbon deposits just doesn't get into the oil the way it used to. Add to that the improvements made to the additives in the oil itself and it's just pissing money down the drain to change your oil based on a standard established decades ago.
If you want to see something amazing, pull a spark plug out of an engine made in the last 10 years and compare it to one from an engine with a carburetor. Even if the fuel injected engine has tens of thousands of more miles on it, it will still be almost spotless compared to the carbureted engine. - kb9vgr, on 10/26/2009, -0/+8if you have a car that needs higher grade then get it but if the manual doesn't call for it then don't
- FritoPendejo, on 10/26/2009, -1/+9Cue the personal anecdote from every single person who has ever bough an extended warranty about how it saved them big money.
- inactive, on 10/26/2009, -0/+8You sell that too? I thought I didn't have any competition, do you offer aftermath and ice age insurance as well? What size meteor? Also, I have close encounters of the 4th kind insurance, If you've been previously been abducted, that's a disqualifier.
- dontreplytome, on 10/26/2009, -0/+8//That is because there are additives in US oil, making us HAVE to change it more often then Europe.//
Please detail those additives, and explain why they make you change your oil more often. Thanks. - SumoSniper, on 10/26/2009, -0/+7Synthetic oils are win.
- lindenwold, on 10/26/2009, -2/+9isn't most of this stuff common sense?
if it isn't, then schools should offer a car care class instead of home-ec.
to think that any car owner out there does not already know this stuff, is scary. - KahRahTay, on 10/26/2009, -1/+8*This message brought to you by the fine folks at Exxon-Mobile
- Barbarino, on 10/26/2009, -0/+7You can send your oil to a lab, such as Blackstone, they will look at your oil, issue you a report and you can gauge how often you need to change it.
- sh0em0nkey, on 10/26/2009, -1/+7That's not true at all.
The OBD computers are a much needed standard. Before there was OBD standards, there were a million different procedures how to check the cars computer, read the codes, and the diagnostics charts. You NEEDED 4 inch thick manuals for EVERY car and model year.
With the OBD standards, they made good progress to address those concerns.
The biggest headache now is the fact that manufactures use different connectors to get to the computer. OBD 3 will hopefully correct that.
The biggest "scam" is how much the scan tool manufactures charge for their devices to interface with OBD. $10,000+ for a quality scan tool is outrageous. Which is the only reason DIY auto diagnostics isn't feasible.
Once again, OBD-3 to save the day. - Tarkaan, on 10/26/2009, -3/+9It takes 15 minutes, costs $20, the oil is recycled by law in the US, and it is often required to keep your car in warranty. Check your owner's manual.
- OnipSemaj, on 10/26/2009, -0/+6One of my cars has an oil life monitor that tell me when it needs changing. One time it went nearly 17,000 miles before it needed a change. Take that, Jiffy Lube!
- richiewrt, on 10/26/2009, -0/+6Take it to autozone of advance auto or one of those places. Most of them will read any codes your car's computer will spit out and even clear the code for you. Or they sell cheap code scanners that you can do it yourself.
- wolfing, on 10/26/2009, -0/+6I guess you skipped the word 'care' in the title.
- FritoPendejo, on 10/26/2009, -1/+6Or maybe an even better bit of advice would be to ignore your advice.
- wolfing, on 10/26/2009, -0/+5and $250 less in your pocket. That's why I just say "I'll do it later" whenever they say my car needs anything
- RaulMuadDib, on 10/26/2009, -0/+5Winter air is colder than summer air
- strictnein, on 10/26/2009, -0/+5I go 300000 parsecs between oil changes. no problems.
- therightside, on 10/26/2009, -2/+7You buy warranties on toasters dont you?
- SpectralSounds, on 10/26/2009, -0/+4@DuneAdx
Here is another horror story for you. A friend of mine had her oil changed and after they drained it, they forgot to add new oil. Her engine seized shortly after she left. The oil place had to get her a new engine and provide a rental car while her car was being repaired so I guess she made out on the deal, but just goes to show you how stupid some of those people are. - Nerys, on 10/26/2009, -1/+5NO OIL needs to be changed every 3k or even every 10k lubricity. Even your cheapo Family Dollar $1.25 a quart oil will lube your engine JUST FINE for well over 10,000 miles.
the issue is CONTAMINANTS. ie the crap floating IN the oil and not caught by the filter (or clogging your filter forcing the bypass to be used more ie NO protection now)
You don't change oil to renew the oil you change oil to get rid of the crap that builds up IN the oil. - FritoPendejo, on 10/26/2009, -0/+4Buried for false dilemma. Not changing your oil every 3000 miles is not going to destroy your engine, and no one is suggesting that you not change your oil at all. Why is it that no one wants to apply this same nonsensical logic to other maintenance items on their vehicle? I don't see anyone religiously cleaning their fuel system.
- wolfing, on 10/26/2009, -1/+5problem is that they tend to add a lot of "oh, we detected a whatchamacallit small leak in the automated zibiribi. It's a recommended change every (your current milage minus 200 miles rounded down to nearest 1000), and it's only $xxx"
- Nerys, on 10/26/2009, -0/+4apples and oranges. Working with computers is not about intelligence its about what your USED to and what you UNDERSTAND.
most older people who have issues with right clicking a mouse have NO problem turning a wrench. Its easier to understand something mechanical than it is to understand something "electronic" or even ethereal (web programming etc..) to there minds.
AdamsGuitar
an oil change is actually EASIER than a mouse. with an oil change you can SEE action reaction in front of you. its easily understood what a screw or bolt is and what fluids do when you pour them.
A mouse is a whole nother ball of wax. this is why older people have an easier time with "touch screens" you return the PHYSICAL interaction to the problem. TURN the wrench TURN the screw. this just makes sense.
Try attaching a mouse to the wrench and then do it via a screen. This can be intimidating to some people. -
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