We Buy Junk Cars

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Big Mike

Buying cars for scrap metal and parts has become a big business. We have gotten in on the action recently and are willing to buy your junk car, or cars.

Many junk yards are willing to haul them away for “free” or even give you $100.00 or so if you can still drive it to them. We are willing to come get your unwanted car and put cash in your hand.

We:

Your junk car is worth something, so don’t give it away for nothing, some cars are worth more than others. The value of your car depends on the year, make, and model. Call today to get a free estimate on how much you can get for your unwanted or junk car.

Posted in General Automotive | Tagged buying cars, junk car, junk cars, junk yards, unwanted car | Leave a comment

Brake Repair | Brake Service | Brake Job

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Big Mike

Best Brake Shop In Massachusetts

Even though we install the best brake parts, the cost of a brake job at our garage usually cost less than any other auto dealer in the state. This is because we don’t mark up the cost of parts.

Most dealerships charge almost 100% mark up. So a $50.00 rotor ends up costing you $100.00, and of course you never replace just one rotor, so your brake job estimate just went up $200.00. Heaven forbid you need a caliper too, because if you do, you will end up spending $450.00 for a brake job the sign out front said was $99.00.

Customers With Newer Cars & Imports Get Charged The Most

Parts cost a little extra for newer cars, and a little extra for imported cars. If you have one of the newer imported cars, Say like a 2010 Audi, your parts cost more than most. But not more than about a 100 bucks. So with an average brake job costing $175.00 to $250.00, you should never pay more than $350.00.

Do I Really Need Rotors?

Yes you probably do! What ever they make rotors out of today, they begin to rot out a lot sooner than they used to, and chances are you need rotors. A brake job 10 years ago just involved changing your brake pads and cleaning up the caliper slides, maybe cutting the rotors, maybe. Nowadays count on replacing your rotors as a normal part of a brake service.

Tip* – If you get an estimate for a brake job, ask them how much it would be if you end up needing to replace your rotors.

Our Brake Service Cost

We usually install high end ceramic brake pads, and new rotors cut with a high micro edge finish. We always include rotors in our estimates, and 99% of our brake jobs cost under $260.00. Low end is probably $180.00.

Posted in Brake Job Cost | Tagged brake job, brake pads, Brake Repair, brake service, cost, estimates, massachusetts, price, rotors | Leave a comment

Car Wont Start – Battery Life

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Big Mike

So you get in your car, you turn the key and hear; click, click, click, buzzing, or even nothing, your car wont start.

The most likely cause for these sounds or lack of sounds is a bad battery. It is possible you left the light on in the car, or something else drained your battery. If your alternator has STB (shit the bed), your car will run for a while off the battery until its drained.

Here is what you have to ask yourself; how old is my battery? If your car is five years old, chances are really really good, Its just to replace your battery. If you have replaced it before, how long ago did you do it? 3-5 years and again, you probably need to change it .

Before you buy a new one ask yourself, how long am I going to be keeping this car? No sense paying for a 5 or 8 year battery if your only keeping the car 2 years.

Really cold weather will kill a battery that’s close to the end of it’s life. In Massachusetts this kind of cold weather comes around the beginning of January, into February. If your batter is close to five years old with new cars, or 3-4 years old with older cars, it would be a great idea to swap it out before the really cold weather hits.

It maybe a good idea to bring your car into a shop to have this simple repair done. Many cars nowadays have radios that will lock up, or have to be reset.

Battery prices have gone up significantly in the last few years, seeing how there is no gold or oil in the battery, it must be due to the cost of diesel fuel / shipping. I find the best price of batteries to be at Walmart.  One other place to buy cheap batteries is at your local junk yard / car salvage yard.

Posted in Auto Repair Advice | Tagged battery life, car wont start | Leave a comment

Bj’s Tire Shop Review

Posted on November 5, 2011 by Big Mike

In the upper north east, here in Massachusetts anyway, it is time to evaluate your tires before the snow flies. I knew I would need a couple tires due to some worn front end parts and due to mileage, so I started pricing some tires in my usual haunts.

You would think that a auto repair shop would get some pretty competitive prices because we buy quite a few during the year. All suppliers have a tendency to bump up prices, so I have to mix up where I do my purchasing from time to time, just to keep their pencils sharp (keep my cost low).

I will only purchase Michelin or BF Goodrich tires so I called around to see where I could get the best price on the tires I wanted. It turns out I am saving $50- by purchasing them from BJ’s Wholesale Club. I called 5 other tire dealers before I decided to get them from BJ’s.

Pep Boys did not carry either brand I wanted, and NTB were way over priced. The other shops I called were local shops I have done business with before, but I end up at BJ’s more often than not nowadays cause they are cheaper.

I called three different BJ clubs to find out none of them stocked the tires I wanted, also they would not order my tires for me with out me coming to the tire shop and paying for them first, major downer, I have never had to do this before.

So I decided on the Nashua New Hampshire store and went up to pay for them. While waiting to be greeted and helped, I over heard a mechanic telling a customer that they would not rotate his best tires to the front of his vehicle. They were willing to rotate them from one side to the other, but not from front to back. The mechanic said he needed his best tires on the back of his car or he would skid out of control. I could not believe my ears. As soon as I got this poor bastard alone I told him the mechanic there is a moron. I explained you always want your best tires on the front of a front wheel drive car. The front tires provide 60-75 % of all stopping/braking, all of your steering, and all of your going.

I didn’t bother to try to correct the moron, he lives in a blissful state of ignorance, why upset the apple cart. Besides I like to pick my battles, and I still had to get this guy to order my tires.

There was no assigned person working the front desk, which I thought was kind of weird, and after wound up with the joker, he told me I could not get the tires that all three locations told me I could, including this location, they called over an older guy, apparently the guy I spoke with the day before, and he fixed my order.

So back to the guy with the tires that BJ’s also would not warranty, they told him the reason the tires wore prematurely was due to a front and “issue”, when the poor jerk asked what was wrong? They said he had to bring it to his mechanic to find out. I’m thinking to my self I hope his problem isn’t a bad tie-rod or something dangerous.

I was not overly impressed with what I witnessed while in there, but am quite happy with the cost of the tires.

My advice, buy your tires at BJ’s, then bring them to your own mechanic to have them mounted and balanced. Thank god I am not at the mercy of their auto mechanics for service or advice!

Thumbs up on price, and two thumbs down on service and knowledge!

Posted in Reviews | Tagged bf goodrich tires, bj s wholesale club, michelin, tire dealers, tire shop, tires | Leave a comment

Cost of Repairing a Bad CV Joint

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Big Mike

New CV Axle Shaft Assemblies cost about $70.00, that’s 2 cv boots, 2 cv joints, the axle, totally assembled, lubed and ready to install for $70.00.

With most American cars, and even a lot of imported/foreign cars it take about 20 minutes to replace a whole axle assembly. Basically, its two nuts and the twist of a pry bar and the piece falls to the floor.

This is not a good job for the mechanically inclined, even though its only two nuts and the twist of a pry bar, the axle nut is huge and tight as hell, it also has to be reinstalled to the proper torque, or you will be replacing a wheel bearing before to long as well. You also have to loosen the ball joint nut which can be tough for the average backyard weekend worrier.

Driving through deep snow, especially hard packed snow causes the cv boots to rip. Once the boot is torn, the grease comes out, and the joint dries up. The symptom of a bad cv joint is usually a click, click, click sound when turning.

If you go in for an oil change and they tell you your cv boot is torn, ask them to tape it up as best they can, or just have the whole axle shaft replaced. Replacing the boot cost just as much, if not more that replacing the whole axle!

Bad cv joints are not a safety concern, they take a while to go bad once the boot is torn, you will hear the tell tale clicking long before the axle breaks. Once you develope the clicking, I would suggest replacing the axle shaft.

I would not pay more than 100.00 bucks for installation, and I would not pay more than 100.00 bucks for the axle, so i am saying I would not pay more than $200.00 for the whole job. $170.00 per axle is what I’d expect to pay for most front wheel drive vehicles.

Posted in Auto Repair Industry | Tagged american cars, axle assembly, axle shaft, bad cv joints, cv axle, cv boot, cv boots, foreign cars, front wheel drive, front wheel drive vehicles, shaft assemblies | Leave a comment

Front-end Alignment

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Big Mike

How Do I Know If I Need A Wheel Alignment?

Wheel alignments should be done whenever a steering component is replaced, and with some suspension components like struts.

If your tire wear pattern is not even, you should check your alignment.

If you own a compact car and hit a deep pot hole, a wheel alignment may be in order.

Generally, if your car is not pulling to the left or the right, the steering wheel is straight when going straight, and your tires are wearing evenly, you don’t need an alignment.

If your having a suspension or steering component replaced that requires an alignment, have it done. You do not need a 4 wheel alignment though, if the front of the vehicle is having service, you would just require a front wheel alignment.

When you have an alignment, your steering wheel is re-centered. On a flat road like a parking lot, with a very even surface, your steering wheel should be perfectly centered while driving straight. You may notice your steering wheel is a little bit off when driving on main roads and highways, mainly do to the crown of the road.

With spring on its way, and a tough winter here in New England, road conditions will be rough until the local DPW fixes all the pot holes left by plows and frost heaves.

Posted in Auto Repair Industry | Tagged front end alignment, front wheel alignment, frost heaves, pot hole, pot holes, struts, suspension components, tire wear, wheel alignments | Leave a comment

Defogging Your Windshield

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Big Mike

Defogging Your Windshield Requires a Working Air Conditioning System

With Ground hog day coming this Wednesday, and another winter storm predicted to drop a  foot and a half of snow over the next two days, I want to think warm thoughts.

A nice hot summer day, with warm breezes will be here before we know it, Ah warm weather. Which means air conditioning season will be here before  long too, and what most people do not realize, is that your defogger works much better with a charged A/C system. Sure blasting the heat on the dashboard will get the job done, but no where near as quick, or efficiently as when your air conditioning system is fully charged.

Air conditioning systems are designed to draw moisture out of the air, and this is why you will see the A/C light come on when you turn to defrost. Defrost actually pulls the moisture from the car while blowing heat onto the windshield.

For a more efficient defroster, and to stay cool in the summer time too, get your air conditioning tested soon, and beat the long lines and waiting to get your system tuned-up.

Posted in Auto Repair Advice | Tagged air conditioning system, air conditioning systems, defogger, defroster | Leave a comment

Car Battery Information

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Big Mike

Car Not Starting – Is it The Battery or Alternator?

New cars and trucks come equipped with batteries that are designed to last about 5 years. So if your car is requiring a jump start to get going, and your vehicles battery is about 5 years old, it is a good idea to replace it, before doing anything else.

When buying a replacement battery, you can spend anywhere from 45.00 to 120.00. The difference in price has to do with how long the replacement battery is designed to last, usually between 3-8 years. If you will be trading your car in within 2 years, there is no reason to spend extra money on a premium battery!

So Battery or Alternator?

If you car runs no problem, and only needs help to start, it is probably just the battery. But if your battery drains and does not stay running it is more likely the Alternator.

Tip*

Many alternators get replaced due to a loose or slipping drive belt, be sure your alternator pulley is turning and that the power cable connection is not optimized.

Posted in Auto Repair Advice | Leave a comment

Windshield Fog? Could be a Leaky Heater Core / No Heat? Could be a Clogged Heater Core

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Big Mike

Windshield clouding up and a sweet smell in the car?

Check the floor of the passenger side under the dash board, if it is wet, smell your hand, does it smell sweet? Anti-freeze has a distinct sweet smell.

General Motors vehicles from the 1990′s and mid 2000′s were known for terrible heater cores, they leaked. SUV’s and S-10 blazers are notorious.

If you have little or no heat in your car, you may have a clogged heater core.

Hot water for your vehicles engine is directed and circulates through a core in your dashboard, which looks very much like a little radiator, as this hot water passes through the “heater core” it gets hot, a blower motor then pushes air through the core, and into the ducts of your heat distribution system.

Fords were notorious for a bad valve located in the engine compartment, right near the passenger side of the firewall.

If you smell the sweetness, or your passenger side floor is wet, your heater core is leaking, and before long your car will over heat.

Posted in Auto Repair Industry | Tagged car no heat, foggy windshield, heater core, heater cores, little heat, no heat | Leave a comment

Rotating Tires

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Big Mike

When should you rotate your tires?

Automotive dealerships would have you believing that all vehicles should rotate their tires every 6000 miles. This is simply not the case.

If you own a front wheel drive car, you want the best tires on the front. The front tires wear faster than the rear tires, so moving the rear tires up to the front will keep your tires wearing evenly and always provide you with the best traction for stopping and Going.

Not all tires are created equal

Cheap tires will wear much faster, and should be rotated more frequently. A good set of Michelin tires may not need to be rotated as often. Repair facilities will often rotate tires with a total disregard for whats best for your car, or tire life. Just keep the best on the front, and you will be fine.

To cross rotate or not to?

A lot of mechanics and service writers, were not professionally trained, but give advice as if they know what they are talking about. More often than not, they don’t know why you do a thing, just that someone told them. So many mechanics are still cross rotating tire. This means they move the front tires straight back, and criss cross the rear two tires up to the front. Do not Cross Rotate! First of all, many tires today are directional, meaning they are designed to only rotate in one direction. By crossing them, you actually change the direction of the tires rotation. Also, by keeping the tires on the same side of the car, when and if uneven tire wear is noticed, you know what side of your car the problem is on.

Posted in Auto Repair Advice | Tagged mechanics, rotating tires, tire life, tires, uneven tire wear | Leave a comment