Goss’ Garage
Pat Goss, MotorWeek's resident master technician, helps consumers understand car problems and how to speak the same language as their technician. As cars becoming increasingly complex, fewer repairs can be accomplished at home. Effective communication with a repair shop is vital to keeping consumer and operating costs under control. From rattles and squeaks to leaks and drips, Pat covers a myriad of issues designed to keep cars on the road and out of the repair shop.
E85 Compatibility Episode 2706
As drivers we all have to do our part to help reduce emissions and reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and one way to do that of course is with flex fuel vehicles, but for some of you who are trying to do your part, you’re being taken! There are people out there who are selling kits, especially on the Internet, who say these kits will convert your non flex-fuel… Read More
Oil Viscosity Episode 2705
Pat Goss and Thom Smith Whether it’s 60 horsepower or 600 horsepower, the life blood of every engine is its oil, and joining us to talk about oils is Thom Smith. Thom, you are an oil chemist right? THOM SMITH: Yes. GOSS: In that capacity, what do you do? SMITH: What I do is I formulate the oils for your engines, your transmissions; I select the… Read More
Tire Tech Episode 2704
Modern tires are amazing but they are also confusing when it comes time for replacement. Now if you drive middle of the road as far as your style, or as far as your automobile is concerned, you’ll want a tire like this. This tire is designed to give you the best of both worlds - wet traction, dry traction, good wear - all of the attributes that you would want… Read More
Timing Belt Trivia Episode 2703
There have been some big changes in timing belts. Now a lot of manufactures have gone away from them but they’re still lots of cars that use timing belts. If you happen to own one, and you look in your owner’s manual and you see that you no longer have to change it at 60,000 miles but rather 90 or 100,000 miles, and you are really happy about that, well don’t… Read More
Virtual Test Drive Episode 2702
Used cars can be a tremendous value but you have to buy them properly, and of course one of the ways to do that is on the Internet. Now make sure that when you’re checking prices on the Internet that you’re checking prices on vehicles in your part of the country, because prices vary around the country. But once you have selected the car and you’ve got an idea… Read More
Cargo and Towing Products Episode 2701
If you tow a trailer and experience electrical problems, how do you know whether the electrical problems are in the trailer or in the tow vehicle? Well, now from Innovative Products of America we have testers. They come in sizes that fit all of the popular trailer connectors. Simply plug them in, operate the different electrical functions on the vehicle, the… Read More
Visible Solutions to Invisible Problems Episode 2638
Few things are as important to safe driving as good visibility, so let’s start with the windshield wipers. The blades themselves have to be maintained in good condition, so you should look at them periodically to make sure that the edge of the blade isn’t torn, it isn’t gouged or anything like that. You can also make your blades last longer if you clean them… Read More
Don’t Pour it Down the Drain! Episode 2637
Crushed Filters | Draining Filter As fuel prices climb, people are doing more and more of their preventative maintenance work. Things like oil changes, for instance, are a good way to save money. Just make sure that you do it properly: raise the car in a safe manner and dispose of the leftover products the way you’re supposed to. Now the oil filter, that’s… Read More
Basics of Shocks and Struts Episode 2636
We get lots of questions about the differences between shock absorbers and struts. What is the difference? Shock absorbers A shock absorber on an automobile does one thing and one thing only, keeps the car from bouncing. Struts are considerably different. Struts are a structural part of the suspension system and are mounted to the chassis of the vehicle on… Read More
Induction System Cleaning Episode 2635
As gas prices have escalated, the crooks have come out of the woodwork with promises of huge improvements in fuel economy and all kinds of different things. Well, save your money because those miracles do not work. Now, there are lots of things that you can do to bring your car back to what its fuel economy was when it was new. One of those is to keep the… Read More