Posted By Bill

Perhaps we don’t quite trust the shop that recommended A, B and C items, or maybe we want to compare pricing to find the best value. For items that can be inspected visually—tires, belts, hoses, fluid leaks, worn shocks—it’s easy enough to confirm or quash the recommendations and to provide an apples-to-apples cost estimate.

But it’s a different matter entirely when there’s poor engine performance, weird suspension or steering noises, braking issues, and  “Service Engine Soon” lights. (Or similarly, antilock braking (ABS) or airbag (SRS) lights.) Understandably, we field phone calls from motorists asking questions like, “How much to replace the EGR valve in my 2004 Toyota Camry?” and “I was told I need new rotors because of a vibration. How much will that be?”

We can certainly estimate the replacement cost for you, but the next part is tricky. What if you bring the car to us, we replace the EGR valve or rotors based on the prior shop’s diagnosis, and your problem is still there? You will have spent money fixing a non-problem, and chances are, you’ll be angry and frustrated—with the situation, with us and with the other shop.

I can hear your objections now: “Yeah, but how often does that happen?” or “Doesn’t the computer tell you what’s wrong?” Surprisingly and unfortunately, we see incorrect diagnoses regularly—at least 50 percent of the time. This is not meant as a dig on our fellow auto repair shops. We can get into the reasons for misdiagnoses another time. But rather, I’m sharing this with you to explain why we think a second inspection or evaluation is, more often than not, worth the money.

If you are bringing the vehicle to us after another shop has seen it, there’s a reason. Does the answer just not seem right to you, or do you not like the pricing? Do you really want to risk us taking their word for it and replacing said item? Or is it worth it to you to pay a second diagnostic fee to ensure the diagnosis was correct—or incorrect?

Countless times, I’ve explained this to clients. They’re doubtful at first, and I can understand that. It’s one thing to pay another $35 co-pay at the doctor’s. It’s another to spend another $100+ on a second diagnosis for your car. But also countless times, I’ve been able to come back and say, “Hey, you don’t need that $500 part after all. All you really need is a $100 wire repair.” One client who was told he needed a new engine in his Toyota pickup truck, when he actually needed a knock sensor. Another client was told she needed a head gasket when she needed an intake gasket. I could go on and on with the examples.

Obviously, I’d recommend that you find and stick with a repair shop you trust to give you the right answer the first time. But if you find yourself in a position where you have doubts, definitely ask yourself the questions above. Chances are, you’ll see the wisdom in paying for a second formal opinion.

While most of our clients are conscientious about maintaining their vehicles, many don’t realize their vehicles come with two different maintenance schedules—one for “severe service” and one for “regular service,” depending on how the vehicle is driven. (Check the fine print in your owner’s manual. They’re both in there!)

Despite your best intentions, if you’re following the wrong maintenance schedule, you’re doing your vehicle a disservice. Chances are, you’re looking at the regular service schedule when you should be looking at the severe one. While this isn’t as detrimental as neglecting maintenance altogether, you’re certainly not gaining all the benefits. Consider the difference between seeing your dentist every 6 months vs. every 12 months or your doctor every 3-5 years vs. every year.

At Star Auto Authority, we find that the vast majority of our clients should be following the severe service schedule. The Automotive Filter Council supports our recommendations, as does a recent AAA study. Only 6 percent of motorists polled by AAA believed they drove under severe conditions, when in reality, 62 percent met the severe service requirements.

While each manufacturer’s recommendations differ slightly, AAA identifies severe service driving as:

• Driving short trips of less than 5 miles in normal temperatures or less than 10 miles in freezing temperatures.
• Driving in hot weather in stop-and-go traffic.
• Driving at speeds of less than 50 mph for long distances.
• Driving on roads that are dusty or muddy or that have salt, sand or gravel spread on the surface.
• Towing a trailer, carrying a camper (on a pickup truck), or transporting items on a roof rack or in a car-top carrier.

Think about your typical week. Do you live a quarter mile from the tollway and enjoy a non-stop commute to work? Or do you pass through 4 miles of traffic lights just to access the highway and then crawl at 20 mph the rest of the way to work? In the Chicago area, we’d contend that most of our trips are on the severe service list because of traffic congestion and our often extreme temperatures.

“Manufacturers provide differing sets of recommendations for severe driving conditions because of the increased wear they put on vehicle components and fluids,” says Steve Benedict, director of AAA Tidewater Automotive Services. “With increased traffic congestion and longer commutes becoming more common, many motorists do not realize what they think of as normal driving is actually severe when it comes to wear and tear on their vehicle.”

Why is this so important? Maintenance schedules for severe driving conditions typically recommend having the vehicle’s fluids and filters changed on a more frequent basis, and more frequent inspections of some components.

In terms of your oil changes, moisture builds up in the engine oil from normal condensation. Short trips around Vernon Hills or driving when it’s really cold means that the engine doesn’t heat up enough for the moisture to evaporate. The water in the oil leads to oil sludge, which gums up your engine and doesn’t let the oil protect it as well. You need to change your oil more frequently to get the sludge out before it causes problems.

Towing, heavy loads and very hot Chicago summers means your engine and transmission will operate at higher temperatures and with more stress. The fluids will break down more quickly. Additives that clean and prevent corrosion will be depleted sooner. Dusty conditions, which may extend also to areas with high air pollution, mean that fluids will get dirty faster and that filters will plug up and won’t work right.

All of these things can lead to premature wear and repairs down the road. They’ll also hurt your fuel economy. The good news is that we’re watching out for you at Star Auto Authority. We take the time to ask about your driving habits and conditions, and we can customize your maintenance schedule to your needs. Plus, we inspect your vehicle with every visit, and that includes visually evaluating the condition of your fluids. If we see your coolant is brown or your transmission fluid is black before the recommended flushing interval, we’ll advise you of that. If you have any questions about your maintenance needs in between visits, don’t hesitate to contact us.

(Note: The AAA study was conducted as part of the 2008 AAA Car Care Month and included interviews with 841 U.S. adults, both AAA members and non-members, who currently own or lease a motor vehicle. Interviews were weighed by age, sex, geographic region and race to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total population, 18 years of age and older.)

Posted by Angi

Her situation is not unique. Our clients frequently debate the same issue. They have an older car that’s worth a few thousand dollars at most, and it needs $1,000 in repairs. What should they do?

Traditionally, our consumption-minded instincts would say, “The car’s not worth it. Just buy a new one.” But in most cases, I believe that’s the exact opposite of what you should do. Don’t evaluate your car’s worth based on what you can sell it for. Instead, be a financially savvy consumer and assess your older car in terms of:

1. The value of the service it provides day to day.
2. What it will cost to replace.

First, let’s look at its day-to-day role or purpose. What do you use your car for? Most likely, to get you to and from work, the train, school, soccer matches, the grocery store, social activities, etc. Will a new car be able to do those things? Sure. Will it do it better? Maybe it will be a bit more stylish or fuel efficient. But ultimately, both vehicles will get you to and from where you need to go. Is the new car worth the additional cost when the old car fulfills its duties just fine? If you’re commuting 2 hours round trip each day, you may find it easy to lay out the cash for a new car. But if you’re driving around town or a couple miles to the train station, the added cost becomes harder to justify.

Second, let’s compare the costs we’re talking about. To continue driving your older car in our scenario, you need to invest $1,000 in repairs, plus pay for insurance and gas. Then you can drive it for months to come with minimal additional expenses. What will a new car cost? In 2009, the average cost of a new car was $28,400, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). At an interest rate of 5.48% (the average auto loan rate in Chicago right now), you’ll pay $542 per month for the next five years on that new car—plus gas and insurance.

A number of web sites, including Edmunds.com and NADAguides.com, offer tools to help you calculate the true cost of ownership for any automobile. If you still think you may want a new car, I’d encourage you to check out their tools. (Click on the links in the previous sentence to go directly there.) According to the NADA, a 2010 Ford F-150 that sells for $25,493 will cost $46,237 over the course of five years once you factor in depreciation, fees and taxes, maintenance, gas, etc. Similarly, a 2010 Toyota Camry that sells for $23,254 will cost $39,899 to operate over five years. Buying a new car is certainly more fun and exciting than driving your old, reliable vehicle, but that wears off long before the new car payments come to an end.

Finally, unless you know you’ll be buying a new car in the very near future, consider the risks you take by delaying the recommended repairs. In the case of my friend’s timing belt, it should have been replaced at 60,000 or 90,000 miles, depending on the maintenance schedule she’s following. (In Chicago, I’d argue that everyone should follow the severe schedule, which means the belt should have been replaced more than 75,000 miles ago.) Yes, her car may be worth $2,000 now, but if the timing belt breaks, the engine will self-destruct. The car will not be drivable, and then it will be worth about $50 to a salvage yard. Plus, she’ll be in the uncomfortable position of buying a car under the gun. Wouldn’t you rather preserve your car’s remaining value, continue driving it as long as you want, and buy a new car on your terms and your timeframe?

So now ask yourself: How much is that older car really worth?

(For more about timing belts and engines that self-destruct vs. those that don’t, please see our blog post on “Why neglecting your timing belt could cost you thousands.”)

Life’s full of surprises, and some of those surprises come with a price tag. A leaky roof, a broken tooth, an unexpected car repair. While planning for scheduled maintenance is fairly straightforward, it can be difficult to budget for unexpected repairs. Fortunately, there are tools online to help you plan for those.

One such tool is on Edmunds.com. The site’s True Cost to Own calculator helps you estimate a service and repair budget. Let’s suppose you have a 2003 Toyota Camry. It’s paid for, and you’d like to keep it running for the next three years. Go to Edmunds’ and enter your vehicle’s data. The calculator will provide estimates of what it will cost to service and repair your vehicle over the next five years. The estimate is based on where you live, manufacturers’ recommendations and repair experiences for your particular model. (The calculator also estimates depreciation, financing, insurance, taxes and fuel costs.)

Of course these are just estimates. There’s no way to predict what will actually happen to the car in your driveway, but it’s a good starting point. Here’s some additional information that may help. This table shows that the average monthly cost of maintenance and repairs is $83 dollars. That may sound like a lot, but compare it to a new car payment. And if you can set aside $83 a month, you’ll go a long way toward taking care of routine maintenance and being prepared for the unexpected repairs that arise.

As vehicles age, some motorists worry about what can go wrong with their older car and they buy a new one. That’s fine if you really want a new car, but if you properly maintain your older vehicle, you’ll save a ton of money on new car payments and insurance. It just makes good economic sense. Of course, if you want personalized advice, please don’t hesitate to contact your Star service advisor.

The average cost of a new car today is $28,400, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). Even in a booming economy, that’s a sizable financial commitment—second only to buying a home.

This is why so many motorists are keeping their cars longer than ever before. The average car on U.S. roadways is now more than 9 years old, and two-thirds of vehicles have more than 75,000 miles on the odometer. The good news is that cars are more reliable than ever before, and consumers should expect their vehicles to easily last 150,000 miles or more.

The key is proper care, but many of the maintenance schedules in your owner’s manuals stop at 100,000 to 110,000 miles. Obviously, this doesn’t mean you’re all through with maintenance. In fact, it’s more important to stay on top of routine maintenance as your car ages. If your owner’s manual stops at a given mileage, just extend the service intervals out.

For example, a service that’s recommended every 15,000 miles should be performed at 15,000, 30,000, 45,000, 60,000 miles…and then 75,000, 90,000, 105,000, 120,000 miles and so on. Because of the additional stress older engines experience, the severe service maintenance schedule is more appropriate than the regular schedule. You’ll also want to ensure your technician is watching out for leaks because seals and gaskets dry out over time and don’t hold the fluids as well as they used to.

Another proactive step you can take to really help your high mileage vehicle is to begin using high mileage formulation fluids. There are special engine oils, coolants, transmission and power steering fluids that are formulated for cars that have a few clicks on the odometer. For example, high mileage oil is designed to condition seals and gaskets, reduce wear and avoid premature burn off. Older engines are dirtier inside, and dirty engines contaminate their oil faster. High mileage oil has special additives that clean the engine, removing sludge deposits over time. The result is less stress on the engine, better fuel economy and excellent wear protection.

Studies have even shown that using high mileage fluids early will actually prevent some of the problems of high mileage vehicles. Once you hit 50,000 miles, consider stepping up to high mileage formulations. These fluids cost a bit more than standard fluids because of the additional additives, but they can be worth their weight in gold in terms of preventing repair costs down the road. And even with slightly higher maintenance costs, it’s way cheaper than a new car payment!

Posted by Jim

Even though the weather has been mild recently, the frosty days will soon be upon us and you’ll want to be sure your car is up for the less-than-ideal driving conditions it will surely encounter.

Historically, preparing your car for winter meant changing the coolant, replacing the thicker summer engine oil with a slicker “thinner” oil, and checking your battery water levels. You may also have installed winter (or studded) tires.

Through the years, technology has made our vehicle fluids, batteries and tires more versatile. They no longer need to be changed with the seasons, but few auto experts have stepped up to inform consumers that the idea of “winterizing” your car has changed.

Here’s how we recommend you ready your car for winter:

• Inspect the tire tread and overall condition. Is there sufficient tread for the car to gain traction in the snow? Are the tires wearing evenly across all treads (and all tires)? Are there any bulges or cracking in the sidewalls or treads? If your vehicle performs poorly in the snow and your tires are in good condition, you may want to ask your service advisor if a set of winter tires would help.
• Ensure all fluids are up to par (clean) and topped off. This is actually important for all seasons, but now seems like an ideal time to prevent a breakdown (in arctic temps) caused by dirty or low fluids. Inspect the condition and level of your coolant, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, and engine oil. While fluid colors vary, you essentially want them to be clear or translucent. Any fluid that is thick and opaque most likely needs to be flushed. Reviewing your maintenance schedule can serve as a guide, or seek a professional opinion from your technician or service advisor.
• Test the freeze  protection of the coolant. While you’re checking the condition and level above, this test is important enough to warrant its own bullet point. Over time, coolant looses its ability to resist freezing. A quick litmus type test can tell you if the fluid needs to be flushed for lacking the protective qualities you need to survive winter.
  
• Conduct a full load test on the battery. Your favorite auto technician can handle this for you and can fairly accurately predict if your battery will be able to crank the engine on those bone-chilling January mornings.
• Replace the windshield wiper blades. As we reported in a recent post, about 90 percent of our driving decisions are based on what we see, and even though we’ve all experienced the frustration and fear of not being able to see clearly during a storm, an estimated 46 million U.S. motorists have wipers that can’t adequately clear their windshields. Let’s take a more proactive approach and replace them before they stop cleaning the windshield.
• Protect the paint. To keep your car looking good year after year, this is also an ideal time to have it detailed. A protective wax or coating will be applied to the clearcoat, protecting it from the harsh effects of road salt, snow, ice and rain.

At Star Auto Authority, we automatically inspect all of the above with every visit, except for the battery load test. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, use this as a guide to ensure trouble-free winter travels.

Posted by Jim

A new survey from Consumer Reports magazine shows that—hands down—consumers prefer independent auto repair shops over dealers. (We’ve always thought that, but we are admittedly biased.)

Nearly 350,000 consumers were surveyed, and among those whose cars needed repairs and maintenance, 75 percent were very satisfied with their independent auto repair shop. A mere 57 percent were very satisfied with their dealers. For maintenance alone, 84 percent of motorists surveyed were very satisfied with their independent shop compared to 77 percent at dealerships.

The highest-scoring dealerships were Lexus, Buick and Acura. On the other end of the scale, Volkswagen, Suzuki, Jeep and Nissan owners were far less satisfied with dealer service.

While I often disagree with the auto recommendations put forth by Consumer Reports, this is one survey I can certainly applaud. Subscribers to the magazine can access complete survey results in the June issue.

Given the gloomy state of the economy, more people than ever are forgoing a new car and opting for major repairs. Quite frankly, this is a financially prudent practice in any economy. We wrote a newsletter article a couple of years ago about how you can save as much as $10,000 by keeping your car for eight years instead of four.

There’s no better time than now to revisit this article, and I’m purposely choosing our piece over the TV station’s because I feel it gives you a much more complete picture of the facts. Enjoy! Let us know what you think.