Auto Repair Advice

If you have spent any time online or browsing your local auto parts store, you have seen clay bar products to clean your paint. They advertise a shine than will blind you and a slippery smooth finish.

Clay bars work by pulling up dirt and other contaminant from your paint. Your paint is relatively soft and dirt and other tiny metal particles can become lodged in the paint to the point that regular washing will not remove them. When you rub the paint with the clay bar, the clay grabs the contaminants and yanks it from the grip of your paint.

The problem lies in the fact that once the contamination is removed from your paint, it does not just fall to the ground, it stays in the clay bar. This material which is often metal and organic compounds from brake pads and rail dust can become like sandpaper. Constant kneeding of the clay to expose fresh clay and burying the contaminants where they can not do damage, is needed to avoid scratching your vehicle.

I have seen good and bad clay jobs, some come out looking like glass, others have noticable scratches left in the clear coat. I don’t suggest it for first time waxers, but if you have some experience, are willing to take the time to do it right, then go ahead and give your paint a new look.

Fuel injectors need love too !!! A good cleaning every 20,000 miles will keep your injectors performing at peak levels. I use and recommend a product called BG 44K which is removes engine deposits in the entire fuel system. It also keeps you injectors clean and free from deposits.

Simply add a can at fuel up and feel the power return to your vehicle.

You can find a full line of BG products at a repair shop near you. Use their garage locator to find a distributor near you.

If you have watched any Speed Channel programming, you more than likely have heard of Wyotech. The beautiful and sexy Jessi Combs of Xtreme 4×4 is a 2004 graduate !

Wyotech has a very wide range of programs and can get you ready for the career of your dreams.

When you enter their automotive program you can specialize in…

Applied Service Management

Applied Service Management is a great specialty concentration for anyone interested in eventually managing or running their own shop. You’ll learn vital concepts for service management like:

* Business Principles
* Shop Management
* Accounting
* Financial Management
* Computers and Business Applications
* Communications

You’ll also learn the theory on setting up your own shop, record keeping, OHSA standards and regulations, service writing, job costing, pricing, marketing, developing business plans, budgeting, finding lenders and investors, and so much more.
These business skills you’ll learn are transferable to so many different career paths within the automotive or diesel industries.

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Motorsports Chassis Fabrication

The Motorsports Chassis Fabrication specialty course introduces students to metal working techniques that apply to specialty automotive chassis fabrication work.

This includes a study of metal types and configurations, measuring, pattern and outline development, mechanical drawing reading and development, attachment methods, metal finishing, cutting, MIG and TIG welding; frame design and modifications including boxing, tubular cross-members, c-notching, pro-street frame setup, roll cage construction, and complete tube chassis fabrication.

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Advanced Automotive Diagnostics

Students who choose to take our Advanced Automotive Diagnostics specialty course will get prepared for the California Smog Check technician license exam - a credential desired by California employers within the smog check industry. Students will study:

* Technical systems
* Body electrical systems
* Engine electronics
* Emissions devices
* Advanced engine
* Performance alternative
* Basic clean air course
* California BAR rules and regulations
* On-board diagnostics II systems

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High Performance Powertrains

The objective of our High Performance Powertrains concentration is to provide the student with up-to-date specialty training in many high-performance applications of diesel and automotive upgrades. The student will receive training theory, hands-on repair and diagnosis of modern hi-tech diesel vehicles and gasoline powered vehicles with an emphasis on performance.
Course Objectives

Students will learn:

* Engine block design
* Rotating and reciprocating assemblies
* Performance camshaft and valvetrain variations
* Fuel injection management systems
* Ignition control systems
* Systems upgrades
* Electronic engine management system
* Computer reprogramming and calibration for outcome parameters
* Modifications and power train tuning for improved performance
* Chassis dynamometer verification of performance outcomes

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Street Rod and Custom Fabrication

In our street rod and custom fabrication course, you will learn the techniques used to customize vehicles and create works of art. You will learn basic specialized sheet metal fabrication techniques as applied to customizing vehicles.

These techniques will include the use of basic hand tools and specialized equipment like the english wheel, power hammer, planishing hammer, bead roller and louver press. Our custom paint training will cover the application of specialized finishes like pearls and candies. Techniques will be taught for special effects including the layout and design of graphics.
Course Objectives

Street Rod and Custom Fabrication offers a solid foundation in:

* Custom and specialized sheet metal shaping and fabrication
* Application of lead (body solder)
* M.I.G., T.I.G. and Oxy-Acetylene welding
* Chop tops including carson style tops
* Hidden pin hinges (Suicide Doors)
* Body Construction including Firewalls, Floorboards and Transmission tunnels
* Custom paint techniques including special effects, airbrushing and pin striping

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If you don’t understand depreciation, it will come back to haunt you when you buy a new car. Depreciation is simply the decrease in value over the lifetime of your car.

As soon as you drive a car off the dealer’s lot it starts to lose value. While you can not stop depreciation of a new car, you can reduce it with some diligent research.

In general a used car loses 15-20% of it’s value each year. New car’s can lose as much as 20 - 25% in the first year. This significant drop in value is why many people find themselves in trouble after a year or two and owe more on their vehicle than what it is worth. Generally trading-in the vehicle only results in being in a worse situation (often called being upside down in your vehicle) This very scenario is why I recommend when buying any car you put at least 25% down to protect yourself in the future.

So what can you do? R-E-S-E-A-R-C-H ! Check the major sites like www.kbb.com www.edmunds.com and www.nadaguides.com for reports on the best resale values. If you must buy a new car, stick to one who’s value will drop the least in the next few years. In 2007 some of the best resale values are in the Acura TSX, Honda Civic, Pontiac Solstice and the BMW 5 series.

If you have decided to buy a used car, congratulations, you will avoid that first year hit to value. It’s a balancing act between age and reliability. Buy the oldest car with the best reliability and you will save the most money in the long run. With longer factory warranties being offered, used vehicles are becoming a better deal.

I just had a good experience with a new rust remover out on the market. “The Safest Rust Remover” is biodegradable and easy on the hands. We used this product to clean up the inside of a Model A gas tank at work and it really did a good job. After I looked up the website, I saw a cool side note… check out the 1957 Belvedere that has been buried as a time capsule.

Kevin