We have written posts before with our recommendations for choosing a competent, trustworthy auto repair shop if you move far away from Star Auto Authority, have a child in college or have an unfortunate breakdown on vacation.

Sometimes, we like to turn the “microphone,” so to speak, over to a third party who can offer some equally valuable, credible information. Here’s an article from MSN Autos that we believe does a thorough job of advising you on how to choose a repair shop: Go to article now.

We’re also happy to say that we live up to the standards established in that article. If you’d like more specifics, please don’t hesitate to ask us for information.

Sometimes the unthinkable happens: There’s a terrible accident, and those involved aren’t able to provide rescuers with emergency contact information.

If something were to happen to you, you no doubt have people you would want to be contacted to arrange help, give consent for treatment, or inform paramedics of medical conditions, allergies or medications.

Too often, police officers and rescue workers must sift through pockets, glove compartments, wallets, purses and cell phone directories for clues—often wasting precious time.

A brilliantly simple solution is now spreading around the globe: ICE. ICE, which stands for “In Case of Emergency,” is a way to identify emergency contacts in your cell phone directory.

Simply put ‘ICE’ before a contact name in your cell phone, like “ICE – Dad,” “ICE – Nancy,” or “ICE – Dr. Roberts.” Rescuers will be able to quickly identify your emergency contacts, saving valuable time.

Bob Brotchie, a Cambridge, England paramedic came up with the idea and started a promotional campaign in England in 2005. This powerful idea is now being heavily promoted across the globe. Rescue workers know how often accident victims are without a purse or wallet, but they are seldom without their cell phones.

While there are national and worldwide disaster databases, participation can cost up to $200 a year. Obviously, ICE is free to the 276 million cell phone users in the United States. It is easy and just takes a few minutes to designate some ICE contacts in your cell phone. Remember to keep the listings current!

Please join Star Auto Authority in getting the word out.

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.)

A friend of mine drives a 1995 Honda Accord with 135,000 miles. She recently invested $1,800 in a new clutch and just happened to mention that she’s never replaced the timing belt. When I expressed concern about the risk of the belt breaking, she asked a perfectly understandable question: “Does it make sense to spend another $900 on a car that’s worth about $2,000? I only drive a couple of miles each day to and from the train station.”

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.”)