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.
Under Pressure
Low tire pressure is becoming a national epidemic. Some experts estimate that as much as 80 percent of all of the cars riding around on the highways have dangerously low tire pressure in one or more of their tires. That’s bad news, because it is dangerous. So you really need to pay attention to the pressure in your tires, either with an old fashioned gauge, or… Read More
Tire Basics
It’s amazing that one of the most important safety features on any car is also the most overlooked: the tires. They are critical to safe driving, yet nobody pays attention to tire pressure and tire wear. Find out where the tire pressure label is on your vehicle from the owner’s manual, and always inflate the tires to that proper pressure and check them regularly.… Read More
Vettes Only
Corvettes are wonderful automobiles, but they do have some unique problems. Take mid-year Corvettes with four-wheel disc brakes through 1982. They used brake calipers that were fixed in position. So because the calipers couldn’t move, the pistons inside the calipers had to be able to move in different directions, up, down, sideways, where a normal piston just… Read More
Premium Shocks
As cars have become more sophisticated their suspension systems and the components in them have become more sophisticated too. Take the shocks and struts, for instance. A car has one or the other. They don’t have both, as a general rule. Now what’s the difference between a shock absorber and a strut? Well, they both control the vertical movement, the bounce of the… Read More
Liddy
Last year we did some interesting modifications to a truck that belongs to a good friend of mine. He agreed to come back and give us an update on it. So here he is, G. Gordon Liddy. Liddy: Hey, Pat. How are you? Goss: I’m doing great. Liddy: That’s wonderful. Goss: Hey, first, before we go to your vehicle, what do you think of this? This is the new Hummer 2,… Read More
Green Motoring
Alternate fuel vehicles are not practical for everyone yet. So what can you do to make your current vehicle more environmentally friendly? Well, one of the most important things is tire pressure. Now it’s not the tire pressure that’s listed on the side of the tire, though. Proper pressure will be listed on a decal that’s usually inside the driver’s door, right… Read More
Brake Service Basics
Brakes are certainly a critical part of the safety of your automobile, and that means that brakes should be checked on a regular basis, every 12,000 miles or once a year, whichever comes first, or whenever there’s a change in the feel of the brakes or the brakes are making noise. All right, now, what are you trying to accomplish? New brake pads are thick, like… Read More
Vital Fluids
For anyone who wants their vehicle to go the distance, proper preventive maintenance is critical. Now where do you find the proper products to use? Well, you have to refer to the owner’s manual because that is the bible for the particular automobile that you want to service. Don’t deviate from that. See one of the problems is that there are all kinds of new oils… Read More
Tech Tools
Modern automobiles bring about modern repair problems, cramped engine bays, things that are hard to see and reach and so on. Well, for every one of those problems there is a new tool to address it. Here’s one that’s very popular. It’s a box end ratcheting wrench, and it does a good job of getting into tight places. Make sure, though, that you buy one that is… Read More
The Factory Aftermarket
When it comes to accessories and high performance parts for your automobile, the line between the aftermarket and the dealership, well, it’s becoming decidedly blurred. See there are all sorts of things that are available through the dealership today to accessorize your car or to improve its performance, appearance or sound. All of them have catalogues that list… Read More