A customer who normally has their work done at a well known tire store chain had brake rotors and brake pads replaced not too long ago.  Today he stopped by to ask us to check a noise in the front end and this is what we found. The front aftermarket brake rotor has completely broken into 2 pieces.  There are no manufacturer stampings on the rotors or the aftermarket brake pads. This is a great example of why it's so important to use Original Equipment parts (meaning you are installing the same part the car company used when they were building the car) or parts that have been tested by a reputable 3rd party (such as DOT or TÜV approved parts). At the very least use a part the manufacturer was proud enough to put their name on.

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A while back we took a trial-run with a company that could help us learn to communicate better with our customers.  Out of this came a whole bunch of reviews, emails, phone calls and the like and a lot of it never saw the light of day.  I saved a few screen captures of you guys' reviews and thought they deserved a place on the internet.  So—with apologies if this seems too vain—here they are...

Triad Auto Specialty is located in the heart of the Piedmont Triad

in beautiful Greensboro, NC. 

Servicing Honda and Acura vehicles exclusively since 1978.

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Here's a great explanation from Honda about what happens to a tire to cause it to flat spot:

When you park a vehicle overnight in cold temperatures or park it for a few days, weeks, or months, the tires can form what are commonly called flat spots. These flat spots can cause a noticeable vibration when traveling at low speeds that goes away after just a few miles of driving.

Due to their construction and materials, many heavy-duty and high-performance tires have a memory—meaning they continue to remember the position in which they were last parked when you begin driving again. Unfortunately, that memory can become a problem when the tires go through wide swings in ambient temperature, or they’ve been sitting overnight in cold temperatures or for a long period of time.

When a tire is suspended in the air (there’s no load on it), each of the sidewall cords has the same tension. As the tire rolls on the ground, each of those sidewall cords goes from a relaxed state to a loaded state for every rotation. And this happens about 800 times every mile. This constant deflection generates heat, which makes the tires more flexible. But once you park the vehicle and those tires start to cool, the spot that’s touching the ground (the tire’s footprint) flattens and the cords around that spot relax as the tire presses down from the weight of the vehicle. The cords at the top of the tire, however, are held at their maximum tension. If it’s cold overnight or you don’t drive the vehicle for a while, the tire will remember its position, forming a flat spot. After a cold start, the axle rises and falls in response to that flat spot, causing
a noticeable vibration. But as tire warms up, it softens, and normally rounds out. With the axle now riding steady, the vibration goes away.

A flat spot can be just temporary, where the tire rounds out after it warms up. But sometimes it can also be permanent in which the tire’s memory effectively destroys its ride quality. A flat spot’s severity often depends on the tire’s size, its construction, the load it’s under, the ambient temperature, and how long it’s been sitting and at what temperature. If the tire has a temporary flat spot, don’t replace the tire just because of it. Of course, if that flat spot is permanent, the only real cure is tire replacement.

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We would love to see more old Honda's like this being restored & venturing back out on the road.

via Enkei's blog 

Check out Enkei's new line of classic wheels and the VIDEO of the car in the making.

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Click here to watch the video

"Success is doing work you're proud of & having a reputation you're proud of."

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We took a little Triad Auto field trip up to VIRginia International Raceway this past Sunday and enjoyed watching the fierce on-track competition in the beautiful Spring sunshine (which was much welcomed after the crazy tornado ridden weather of the day before).  The "Double Nationals" meant that each class had to qualify in the morning, then race in the afternoon on both Saturday and Sunday. The photos are just from Sunday's event.

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We spent the morning using Honda's newest diagnostic tool, the MVCI, and we're in love.

One advantage of the MVCI was immediate: it's wireless.  Now it's possible to plug the MVCI into the OBD port under the dash and use the HDS (our laptop with Honda's diagnostic software installed) to perform our diagnostic work with the laptop sitting outside of the car on a cart/workbench/toolbox. So evaporative system tests that used to require us to plug into the OBD port and run the cable to the underside of the car to the laptop will be simplified. Also, reprogramming/updating the PCM (the car's computer) will move along a little more smoothly with all program files being stored in an SD card onboard the MVCI.

Instead of just having to have it to do the work required, we're actually looking forward to using the first diagnostic tool we've been excited about the capabilities of in a long while.

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Check out the new Tumblr we started to aggregate old Honda photographs, designs, adverts, & memories from around the web. Check it out!

—  http://nicestpeople.tumblr.com   —

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2011 Honda HR28TT engine. Developed by a joint-venture between HPD and Honda R&D for the ALMS LMP2 class.

Read the news release here.

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...made its debut today at the Chicago Auto Show.

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>>Griot's Garage

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Will stopped in today for a service and to celebrate with us on crossing another milestone— 600,000 miles! 

We have serviced this car since he first brought it in as a baby Honda with just 50,000 miles on it; that was back in 1991. Over the past 20 years this car has cost Will just 3¢ per mile to maintain.

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via HondaUK's youtube

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Thank you Mary Lou, Bob B, and Jillian H, for the goodies!  Also, Bob F brought us 2 huge apple pies from The Fresh Market, but I was too slow with my camera to take a pic of their deliciousness before the guys gobbled them up.

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Honda Fit EV (Electric Vehicle).  Up to 100 miles on a single charge.

The "Honda Total Energy Management System" is the idea of pushing development forward in all aspects of building All-Electric vehicles. From improving Solar Panel technology to building their own charging systems, it's what you would expect from the "Greenest Automaker" on the planet.

Read the full story here

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