Have Spoilers Spoiled You?

The greates rage among old and young car drivers, male and female, are automobile and truck spoilers. One customer told me, "There is nothing in the world that really finishes a car off like a spoiler.

Wheels that shine too much, door handle covers and phony grilles change the natural line of a vehicle that made you want it in the first place. But, and it's a big old butt, a spoiler painted factory matching paint just extends the lines and blends into the car to produce a really neat machine.

Need information on spoilers? Want to know where the paint code is on your vehicle so that you match up your spoiler? Installation information? Want'ta buy one? We have the answers to your questions and can tell you how to install it, too.

While at our site, click around and see pictures of all of the new cars and product information. We have nothing to do with any car dealer. We do not sell cars, we just inform.

Twelve Tips to Help You Complain Effectively

When you feel you've been wronged by a repair shop or dealer, do you:

• Run your car through their pansy bed?

• Hire a dynamite man to level the place?

• Climb their flagpole, refusing to come down until justice is served?

• Eat a garlic sandwich and then introduce yourself to other customers as the owner?

The correct answer was not listed above.

When you have a complaint, there are some do's and don'ts that will increase your chances of receiving fair treatment:

1. Subdue your temper. You can't think rationally when you are angry. You tend not to make good sense, and management will be paying attention to your temper, not your problem.

2. Ask to talk to someone in authority. Don't waste your best material on some flunky.

3. Ask to talk in a private place. So much more can be accomplished in a private office. Third parties cause trouble as remarks are weighed against what the third party might have thought.

4. Jot down the events and items that bother you. Write down exactly what happened, what you were promised, and in the order they occurred. Be as accurate as possible. Be truthful.

5. Don't get personal. Do not call anyone names, not even absent parties. Keep it professional. Don't let them stop thinking about your problem.

6. Don't make unfounded accusations. Try to avoid accusations. State your case accurately and truthfully. And state it fully, not just what's advantageous to your side.

7. Stick to the subject at hand. Don't get away from the primary item.

8. Hear the other side through. Don't interrupt while the other side is being presented. Take notes.

9. Accept apologies and promises to make good. Let them redo the job - at least once.

10.Restate what you understand about what happened. Ask them to repeat your case to you to see if they really do have a feel for it, and have been listening.

11.If after the above is exhausted, and an equitable solution has not been found, ask to see someone with more authority.

12.If you fail after going to higher authority, then advise them that you plan to consider all of your options, which will include the Better Business Bureau, Consumer Affairs departments of appropriate governmental agencies, and a private attorney.

This last resource is not intended as a threat, only a courtesy. It would be unfair, and not in your best interest, to fail to advise the other side of your intentions to pursue the matter. If you merely fold up your tent and leave, they may assume you have accepted their view of the matter. But if notified of your intentions, there might be some further negotiating, and even a satisfactory conclusion

Anti-Freeze, Freon, Coolant: Where, When,

There is quite a bit of confusion about anti-freeze, coolant and freon. Service personnel have been asked, "Would you put some coolant in my air conditioner, please?" And, "My car is overheating, do I need some freon in my radiator?"

It's not as crazy as it sounds. Coolant is the new word for anti-freeze. It's the same old product (Well, maybe improved), but they discovered that it not only kept water from freezing, it also kept the water in the radiator cooler. This made it necessary for summer as well as winter.
Freon is a gas that is put into the air conditioning system that causes it to cool. Forget about freon -until next July.

But don't forget about coolant, or antifreeze - let's call it antifreeze. Having it checked, and then adding more, year in and year out, is not proper maintenance. Due to a phenomenon called 'silicate fallout', failing to change the antifreeze every 12 months may cause you big-time radiator repairs.
Silicates protect aluminum engine parts, heads, and radiators from corrosion. These chemicals coat the inner surfaces of the cooling system with a protective silicate film. As the film wears down, the silicate is intended to break out and re-treat exposed areas.

However, over time, the "soup" of chemicals, impurities and corrosion byproducts in the car's cooling system can start to break down the controlled rate at which the silicate is to drop out. As it drops faster, it forms a `goo' that hardens to clog delicate radiator core openings, causing the car to overheat.
Nothing short of pulling the radiator and placing it in a vat, to be boiled out, will remove the hardened silicate.

Here are some guidelines to follow that will save you the big radiator repair bill.

*Use only reputable brands of antifreeze.

*Do not use a higher concentration than 50% antifreeze to water.

*Do not use cooling system additives that raise silicate levels unnecessarily. *Drain and flush the cooling system annually.

*Use distilled or filtered water in areas where the water is hard (High % mineral). But, do not use distilled water unless it is necessary, as distilled water absorbs oxygen and carbon dioxide, which promotes corrosion.

To be on the safe side, check the antifreeze in the spring, and replace it in the fall. If you do your own, make certain that you never have more than 50% antifreeze to water mixture.

Remember, when your car overheats, turn the engine off at once. Only about 10 minutes separate a $30 hose or belt replacement job and, a $5,000 engine replacement.

How to Speak "CAR" to Your Mechanic

With a stern gaze and jutted chin, the matronly woman looked the service advisor squarely in' the eye and said, "Uhden dunt, uh-dunt, dunt...dunt... dunt...psst!"

She and many other car owners are finding that their high tech marvels of the road make weird sounds. In their efforts to convey to servicemen any information that might help hasten the repair, they try to mimic their cars' final gasps.

"fuden... fuden...duff," one man muttered repeatedly while the mechanic watched his performance in amazement. But the man insisted these were his engine's dying words, and eventually the syllables clicked a spark of recognition in the technician and he was able to begin a diagnosis.

Believe it or not, this is a good way to communicate with a mechanic about a car that won't run, especially with today's technologically advanced models.

Of course, if the car runs, the best thing to do is take it for a drive with the mechanic, hoping the problem will manifest itself before a new audience. However, cars, like children, don't always do what's expected of them. They will limp and sputter and cough, until you arrive at the service department. Then when they see a mechanic approaching, they purr like a kitten and accelerate like the Russians just landed in Ft. Worth.

You're left with no choice but to describe the "konk," the "clunk," the "ping" that brought you to the shop. But, in addition to the age old "chunka-chunka-chunka" to describe a dead miss in the engine, high tech cars have brought with them new sounds that require owners to achieve a new level of creative communications.

So foreign are these sounds to our long-acquired instincts that traffic jams have been blamed on the "freeway chorus" as passing motorists slow and sometimes stop, not sure whether the strange noises are coming from their own cars or someone else's.

When you're in a service department and hear another unfortunate owner making the funny noises, you're tempted to snicker. But you'll make the sounds, too, when your turn comes. There just isn't much else you can do. Communication is important to getting the problem fixed the first time. Duplicating sounds and noises gives the mechanic something to go on. He has a real problem looking at a car that won't run and can't talk. So the owner must do the talking.

One woman described steam coming from the exhaust pipes this way: "Its breath is fogging, and it's not even cold."

Some people tend to take their cars' noise as a personal affront. One man insisted his transmission was "growling at me." Others have complained, "My car is whistling at me," or "my car is spitting at me."
The classic service department waiting room story is the one about the well cushioned lady who burst through the door and announced to the service advisor, "Quick! My rear end is bumping and grinding. I need some help, now!

New Car Dealers Psychological Sales Tricks

I can give you the shopping tips that will aid you in saving $1000, $2000, maybe even $3000, on your next new car or truck purchased.

You can forget about buying your dream car or truck for dealers cost or $50.00 over cost. Knowing dealers cost is not going to make an idiot out of the dealer. He can't keep that fancy dealership going with $50.00 per vehicle. You have to get real about that. On the other hand, after you have the all of the facts, $50.00 over "invoice" may be too much. "Invoice"..."Cost"...They are not the same. Even at invoice a dealer has a pretty good chunk of profit. More about that later.

Selling has always been a relationship game. The good salesman is friendly, sometimes funny and pleasant to be around. Salesman, for our purpose here, means man or woman. There are plenty of both who are excellent at selling. As competition grew keener, sales trainers grew more crafty and introduced some psychology into their training agenda.

Today's refinements of the art of selling are mostly psychological. Even though they usually hire high school graduates, college drop-outs, and/or retired persons in need of a supplemental income. Some make good salespersons, some don't. The trainers hone the rough edges from these men and women by teaching them some psychological tricks to keep you off balance. But, more about that as we go along.

They begin by teaching the "Seven Steps of A Sale". Some teach ten steps but they are just breaking one or two down further. The Seven Steps came as a result of Sales Engineers breaking down what successful salesmen did to sell cars. After they had finished their analysis, they condensed the salesmen's work to seven steps.

2005 Acura NSX

The mid-engine sports car, the Acura NSX, remains unchanged for 2005. NSX comes with a lift-off "targa" roof panel, a 290-hp 3.2-liter V6, and a 6-speed manual transmission. A 4-speed automatic transmission with manual-shift feature is available by special order and teams with a 252-hp 3.0-liter V6. Standard are ABS, traction control, and 17-inch wheels, plus leather upholstery, keyless entry system, and trunk-mounted CD changer. Side airbags are unavailable.

Acura 2005 MDX:Knee Deep in Cutting Edge accessories

The 2005 MDX offers new colors and features, including HandsFreeLink™ and XM® Satellite Radio. The MDX has upgraded the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA®), Acura Navigation System with Voice Recognition™, OnStar® and Acura/Bose® 6-disc, and in-dash CD changer that is available on all touring models equipped with Navigation System. MDX shares its basic design with the Honda Pilot SUV. Like Pilot, MDX has three rows of seats, but holds seven passengers vs. Pilot's eight, and has slightly less cargo room. MDX shares Pilot's V6 engine that produces 265 hp, 5-speed automatic transmission, and all-wheel drive without low-range gearing. MDX has electronic "drive-by-wire" throttle and a standard antiskid system. 17-inch alloy wheels, front side airbags, antilock 4-wheel disc brakes, rear air conditioning, leather upholstery, and heated front seats are all standard on the 2005 MDX. Uplevel Touring models add a power passenger seat, in-dash CD changer, and rain-sensing windshield wipers. An available navigation system returns with new voice control and 3D graphics, and its dashboard screen now serves a rearview camera, which shows what's behind when the transmission is shifted into reverse. Finally, MDX offers its first rear-seat DVD entertainment option; it includes headphones and remote control.

Vacation Checklist No.2

Even if your have good tires and even if they are nearly new, you should check for possible needed wheel alignment correction. You can do a check yourself by driving the vehicle on a relatively smooth highway and while not meeting other vehicles, turn loose of the steering wheel just for a second. Should the car drift or dart to the left, you should take your car to a shop that does wheel alignment. Without appreciable wind, your car should drift, ever so slowly, toward the right. It is set that way in case you go to sleep or lose control for any reason of the car. It is safer for the car to drift toward the ditch than into oncoming traffic.

Also, at your regular diving speed, pay attention to the steering wheel. Does it visibly shake? Can you feel a vibration coming from the wheel? I so you also should take the car in for a wheel balance.

In your drive way, you can check the air pressure in your tires. This should be done monthly whether you are going on vacation or not. If you don't have a tire gauge, you need to get one. They are inexpensive and can save you hundreds of dollars.

The above three problems can wear out a set of tires in no time. Improper wheel alignment is much like dragging the front tires sideways across the pavement. That is an exaggeration, of course, but you can see that the tire needs to roll straight down the road 90 degrees of the car. Any variation of this causes excessive tire wear.

Same thing with the wheel balance. If wheels, (tires) are vibrating, they are jumping up and down on the pavement and wearing dished spots on the tire.

The tire pressure is also important. An over inflated tire wears the center of the tread faster than the outer because the over inflation causes a rounding effect and the outer tread does not carry it's part of the weight. Under inflating does just the opposite. The outer tread wears first because the low pressure causes a concave configuration of the tire and the center does wear evenly with the outer tread.

If you want to be extra careful, have your repairman put your car on a lift and inspect the exhaust system for leaks (Can be very dangerous), pull a wheel and inspect brake pads, disk brake rotors, as well as the brake hydraulic system, which includes the master cylinder, wheel cylinders and hoses, for leaks.

Have a nice, safe vacation.

Harold