A great way to save money on maintaining your car is to have one shop that does all the work on your vehicle (s).  Sometimes, though, even that fails to save you the money it could.  That’s why shops like Dale’s Auto Care offer you a great tool that can protect you from the expense of a service that’s not due yet.  That tool is a website called OwnerAutoSite.  This site gives you the ability to track your car’s service history 24/7 from any location where you have internet access.  Unnecessary expense is avoided because your vehicle’s history is recorded on computer and both you and the repair shop can see what work has or hasn’t been done on your car.  Tracking repair and maintenance means “selling you work that’s already been done or isn’t due yet” can be avoided.

Imagine yourself talking your car to a “new” shop.  They want to do a good job for you, so they look your car over, check the mileage, and determine you are due for a 90,000 mile service, one component of which is a transmission service.  This is normally recommended every 30,000 miles or so, depending on your car.  The problem is you had your transmission serviced 20,000 miles ago, but this “new” shop doesn’t have access to that information, and even though you think it might have been done, you can’t remember for sure.  Approving this service means you would spend $100 to $150.00 more than you’d need to at this time.

What about expenses that are the result of a simple error?  You take your car to your usual shop for a routine inspection, and they determine it’s time for a transmission service.  They didn’t notice the transmission was serviced 20,000 miles ago and end up recommending work that isn’t yet due.

With the Owner Auto Site you have the ability to look up the repair and service history for each of your cars individually.  Listed on the site is a brief description of what was done along with the mileage, cost, and invoice number.

You’ll also find listed the mileage or recommended date for the next service due.  A button on the page even lets you email Dale’s Auto Care to request an appointment.  The site also lists current coupons that might give you additional savings.  Finally, there is an Advisor button that allows you to list the symptoms you’re experiencing with your car, forward that information to Dale’s via email, and keep a copy for yourself.  You don’t have to rely on being able to remember all of the problems you need help with next time you take your car in.

Maybe you haven’t used this tool yet because you didn’t know it was available.  Why not check it our for yourself.  The next time you get an email from Dale’s just click on the link for OwnerAutoSite, create your user name and password and you’ll have instant access to the information on your car.

Copyright 2009 Dave Eastman, ADSi.  All rights reserved.

Please reply to this post after you visit the site to let us know what you think.

In an effort to move forward with communication through the use of our  website we are asking you to select the Surveys link in the tool bar and complete the Customer Satisfaction survey.

We appreciate your willingness to do this.  We are anxious to hear what you have to say and learn how we can better serve you.

Also it would be of great help to us if you would view the various pages and posts on our site and give us feedback by replying to one or more of the posts.  To reply,  just click on the headline of the post and scroll down to the bottom.  Type your response in the box and press Submit.

Nobody wants to spend money to fix a car that’s not broken, but nobody wants to spend more than they have to at the gas pump either.  We all know there is that direct link between the fuel economy our car gets and its mechanical condition.  Here’s a few things you might not realize can affect fuel economy.

1. Misalignment of tires.  One of the highest fuel consumption threats your vehicle can have relates to the alignment of the front tires.  Improper alignment decreases fuel economy by increasing the rolling resistance of your vehicle.  Picture walking with your feet pointed out, like a duck, at a 15 degree angle.  Then, rather than picking them up as you walk, just drag them along the ground.  How efficient would that be?  This can cost you a mile or two per gallon.  On a car that gets 20 miles per gallon (MPG) that is a 5 to 10 percent reduction in fuel economy.
2. Driving with the park brake partially on.  This OOPS can cost you a mile or two per gallon and decrease your fuel economy by 3 to 8 percent.  The expense of lost fuel, however, may be small compared to the price tag you’ll see for damage done to your brake pads, shoes, drums or rotors.  Failing to notice your park brake is on when the car is in motion can wear out your brake linings incredibly fast, which results in a metal to metal friction that can destroy expensive brake drums and rotors.
3. Transmission or clutch that slips.  Fuel economy is reduced by 5 to 10 percent when slippage reduces the normal amount of power going directly to the tires as they move the car forward and the driver has to push the accelerator down farther to get to the desired speed.  What can cause an automatic transmission to slip?  Too many things than could be covered in this article, but one easy prevention measure is to be sure the automatic transmission fluid is neither dirty nor at too low a level.
4. A thermostat that has failed.  Engines are designed to run most efficiently at a specific temperature.  A cold engine needs more fuel than a warm engine.  It is the engine thermostat that gets the engine to the correct temperature as quickly as possible so it will require less fuel.  Because almost all cars and trucks today have a computer that controls the fuel system, any mechanical problem with the thermostat that causes the engine to run colder than it should may cause the computer to adjust and send more fuel than is required.  The additional fuel could reduce your fuel economy by 2 miles per gallon or more.
5. A bad battery.  Bet that’s one you may not have thought of as a cause for poor fuel economy!  Remember, what charges the battery is the alternator, and what turns the alternator is a drive belt powered by the engine.  This means the alternator consumes energy from the engine, and if it has to work harder to try to keep a bad battery charged, then it stands to reason more energy will be consumed as it is forced to work more.  The result is reduced fuel economy.

Who likes to spend money on their car?  Nobody I know, but when spending money can end up saving you money its helpful to know how to spend wisely.  Hopefully you’ll find these tips helpful as you try to make better decisions about how to spend your car repair dollars.

Copyright 2009 Dave Eastman, ADSi.  All rights reserved.

Very little money required but lots of savings!

Fuel economy and cost of gasoline become much more significant when money is tight and the price of this precious liquid keeps going up.

If your kitchen faucet drips you may not worry that much about how much water is lost.  But put a bowl under that drip and I bet you’ll be surprised how fast those drops accumulate in short order.  At $2.50 to $3.00 a gallon, gasoline “drops” can add up to significant amounts of money.   Here are some tips to “stop the drips” . . .

1. Keep your car, truck or SUV tire pressure at the correct level.  According to a Car Care Council survey, incorrect tire pressure was found in more than 50 percent of the cars they inspected.  Fuel consumption can increase by 1-2 percent when tires are underinflated by as little as 2 pounds.
2. Keep air filters clean.  Clogged filters were found on 16 percent of the cars they inspected by the Car Care Council.  Replacing a dirty air filter can increase your gas mileage by as much as 10 percent.
3. Use the correct weight motor oil.  The higher the weight, the thicker the oil.  Many features put in place by manufacturers to improve fuel economy will not work as designed when oil is thicker than specified.  An inprovement of 1-2 percent in fuel economy can be realized by using correct oil weight.
4. Replace spark plugs at the recommended interval or repair restricted fuel injectors as needed.  It is easy to consider these an inexpensive maintenance item if you consider that worn plugs or restricted injectors could be reducing your fuel economy by as much as 30 percent.  For a car rated to get 20 miles per gallon that could mean as much as 6 more miles per gallon.
5. Keep your transmission fluid clean and at the proper level.  Transmissions that slip can grreatly affect fuel economy, and fluid that is dirty or at a low level can quickly lead to improper shifting or slippage.
6. Have a regular vehicle inspection.  Even if your trusted mechanic charges for the inspection, you may be money ahead if they find damage or wear that could result in breakage and create a much more expensive repair later.
7. Get brake system inspections at least twice a year.  Brake systems on today’s cars are designed to allow for low rolling resistance to improve fuel economy.  Brake parts that are not properly maintained or lubricated interfere with this design, and lead to higher rolling resistance.  That translates to lower fuel economy.

Maintenance costs but it also pays.  Nobody likes to spend money on maintenance work but remind yourself there is a return on that investment in dollars saved over time.  Here’s an ADSi tip . . . If your trusted mechanic charges for their inspection, ask if you can negotiate a FREE inspection in return for your loyalty as their customer and for referring friends in need of quality car care.

 Copyright 2009 Dave Eastman, ADSi.  All rights reserved.