Technorati Tags: auto repair advice, auto repair information, auto repair questions

My ‘96 Buick Skylark needs new rear brake pads, I plan to do it myself for the first time and have watched a few youtube clips; the professional auto repair vids. say all the hardware should be replaced…. but does it have to be? Do the springs really wear out as fast as the pads, or can they be reused? Personal experience or expert advice appreciated!

they dont wear out but they do rust and break, I always replace hardware. Its cheap insurance, if a spring breaks it usually ruins the drum.

I’m going to get a job that pays $180,000 a year for up to 3 years. I want the money to make more money while I’m working that job through stock markets.

I want to take the money I earned and quit the job and with that capital I want to start my own small business. I want to open up an auto repair shop. A nice one that also does more stuff than repair cars. I don’t want to blurt out my exact business plan since it’s my own idea.

I then want to have the money to build my dream house which should cost around $500,000

Can I do this? Is this possible? Do I need a financial consultant? Stock Broker? A good lawyer? What do I need to do? What should I watch out for?

Look for a business coach, but you want one with experience in what you’re seeking to do. Check with your local chamber of commerce or the Small Business Administration to find one. For investing your money now, look for a financial consultant that makes a flat fee, not a broker who only makes money when you buy and sell stocks. Good for you, you’re ambitious! That’s great.

I need to have my Grand Am repaired and am looking for recommendations for local repair shops in/around North Arlington, VA. I think one of the front wheels will have to be replaced, the tires need an alignment, and it’s possible that one of the tie rods is bent/broken. I’d rather not go to the GM/Pontiac dealership, where they’ll charge me a fortune. Anyone have recommendations? I have heard of Arlington World Motors and Craven Tire & Auto, but don’t know anything about them… Thanks!

There are little repair shop on Little river turnpike in Alexandria. It’s right where Duke st. changes to Little river turnpike. I don’t think they do wheel alignment, but they do everything else. Ask for Mr. Kim. He is a certified mechanic.
I drive all the way there, every time I need repair on my Van or my trucks , from Maryland. He only fix what I need, and He will tell you up-front about everything. You don’t have that "They got me" kind feeling after repair is done.
Good price. Good mechanic. Always get the job done on time.
I been going there for years. D & M Auto service. I don’t remamber their address, but there phone number is 703-642-9100.

We’re remodeling our kitchen. If we replace the countertops with Corian, we can get a Corian sink. However, we have a triple sink by Elkay that is really too nice to discard, so we may keep it instead of getting the Corian sink. After 16 years, it shows a bit of wear, so I was wondering if there’s any place that refinishes stainless steel sinks… auto repair shop maybe? Anybody out there got any ideas or advice?

there is a stainless sink polish youcould find at a hardware store.

Hello! To give you a little background, I recently received a fix it ticket due to expired tags (registration was paid for, but I havent been able to get my car smogged because of messed up o2 sensors… which I currently dont have the money to pay for) and insurance (which I had no idea I didnt have as my insurance had just expired a couple days before and my mom (who just started taking over my insurance payments) said that my insurance was currently good to go). I shouldnt have been driving with expired tags to begin with, I know, it completely slipped my mind that day.

Im going to be taking my car in to get it repaired soon, but I wasnt sure if Ill need to go to the DMV to get a moving permit first… or if I simply will just need to explain to an officer if I get pulled over that Im getting it repaired in order to pass my smog test.

Thanks for any help and advice. Im a pretty new driver so all of this is rather new to me, as well as confusing.

I would have it towed in there, and in the mean time of it being fixed i would get it legal so that when its done you can just drive it outta there with no worries.. however in my state you dont have to have a moving permit, in my state after getting a fix it ticket you have so many days to fix it, if you can get insurance within so many days they reduce the fine by a little bit.. hope this helps

I am a little bit of a DIYer when it comes to most but i need a litlle walkthrough on how to replace and pack n tighten wheel barrings and replace brake calipers and hoses.. i dont have the money to take it to the shop and i have faith in myself doing it a just need a little advice and need to know mistakes to avoid.. please help??? also my truck is havin a rough start and putters a little bit after it starts… i have a 94 s10 4.3 vortec v6 RWD auto

I had similar problems with my Toyota Avalon and last month. Get a free auto warranty quote and see if you can get the policy before you need to get your car repaired. http://www.americastopchoice.com/Auto-Warranty.html

My car was broken into and the window was smashed. I really have no money to fix this. Any advice?

I had similar problems last week and was glad I got my repairs covered under my extended warranty. extended warranties are if you buy them aftermarket. http://www.lowestquoteonline.info/Auto-Warranty.html

Learn how to buy all-season and snow tires as well as how to perform basic auto maintenance with expert auto mechanics advice in this free online car care video clip.

Expert: Jake Burt
Contact: burtbrotherstires.com
Bio: Jake Burt has been working in the automotive industry for close to a decade and is currently the store manager of Burt Brother tires in Sugarhouse, Utah.
Filmmaker: joseph wilkins

Duration : 0:1:44

Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: Auto, automotive, belts, car, Change, exhaust, filter, inspection, maintenance, oil, repair

Ok, here’s my situation:
I’m and 19 years old and graduated from a private high school last May. I just completed my first semester of community college. My plan was to major in civil engineering because the job offers great pay and my dad can get me a good job in the business. BUT I’m starting to realize that I would rather be happy and love my job making less money than going to work everyday and hating it. And over the past 3 or so years I have developed an interest, or obsession as my parents call it, with cars and auto engines in general. Which brings me to my question. I will soon have to choose between continuing community college or transfering to Louisiana Technical College in order to pursue an associates degree in atuo mechanics. I would love to hear some advice from auto mechanics, students that are in the auto mechanic field or anyone with this type of experience. Please include salary rates for entry level mechanics as well as experienced mechanics who work for big name auto makers or who own their own shops. My plan is to graduate with an associates degree as an engine repair technician as well as an engine performance technician. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: I feel like I wrote an essay, lol…

If you really think you could have a career as an automotive mechanic or technician then I say go for it. And actually if you become a dealer technician there’s the possibility of earning 80k-140k a year if your smart. You have to really put yourself out there though and prove your good at what you do to land a good career and high pay. I’m an ‘09 High School grad as well and I wasn’t sure at all what I was gonna do, I thought about being like my dad as well and becoming a cop which is what he does. But since I got my own car my Junior year I’ve become, as what my parents also call it, obsessed over vehicles and engines and since then I even taught myself how to completely tear down a manual transmission and put it back together. I’ve found that it’s the easiest thing in the world for me to work with engines while so many other people are afraid to even pop their hood or even touch their engine. A lot of people think mechanics make little money and it is true for the types of mechanics they think of, and when they think of mechanics they think of the guy working down at Average Joe’s Shop changing oil and doing tire rotations. It’s a promising field if you choose a school that specializes in Technician training, so many cars these days have hundreds of computers now like BMW’s, Mercedes, Audi, plus many more so people can’t work on their own cars anymore and regular "pull the bad part out and replace it" mechanics are becoming outdated because of todays advanced cars, which is why you’ll have to learn about computers as well. Think about it, how many people these days do you see working on newer cars like their BMW, Mercedes, or even their Fords, Chevrolet’s, Honda’s, Toyota’s, etc. Not many because new car’s are becoming too complicated for DIY people. And with Diesel and the new Hybrid technology becoming more popular there’s some serious money to be made their since those types of cars/engines aren’t well known even to experienced mechanics who’ve been around for awhile.

So far everyone I know who has become a regular mechanic has hated it, but everyone I know who has become a Master Technician or a Technician at a dealer or big-time shop has loved it and has made tons of money doing what’s called Bumper-to-Bumper work. Entry level technicians make about 40k-60k a year, experienced technicians make over 80k. Their usually paid by the jobs that they do, so lets say a technician is working for $20 an hour. A car comes in and it needs a new radiator, the estimator book says it should take about 2 1/2 hours to do, the technician does it in 45minutes. He will STILL get payed for the full 2 1/2 hours of work even though he did it in 45min, so did he make money? yep. That gives him time to start on another car and make more money. So there’s possibilities of earning over 40hours of pay a day but only actually working maybe 12-15 of those hours. My current Auto teacher has had numerous times where he was making $25-$30 an hour and logging in over 250 hours a week. (He also owns around 10-15 cars by the way…lol)

Just remember, what you put into the school is what you get out of it, so work hard.