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.
Snow Business
When the weather turns cold and you get some ice and snow on the windshield of an automobile, drivers do some pretty strange things. First they go out, they start the car, turn the defroster on the maximum heat and maximum blower. That way they’re going to get the car warmed up and they’re going to get rid of the ice. Well, they might get something they don’t… Read More
Winterizing
Just about everyone has some piece of equipment with an engine on it that is used only part of the year. The rest of the year it sits, and that means if you want it to last a long time, you have to perform some preventive maintenance before you put it in storage. That applies to things like chainsaws, lawn mowers, motorcycles, cars, boats. They all have engines;… Read More
Rack ‘Em Up
No matter how big or how small the vehicle, it seems like there’s always a need for extra space. You’ve got to carry stuff. Well, one way to do that is with a car top carrier like this Thule unit that mounts on cross bars, and in this case we took Thule crossbars and mounted them to the factory roof rack. Now a couple of cautions here. Number one, read the owner’s… Read More
Belts & Hoses
Some of the most important parts under the hood are made of rubber, the belts and the hoses. Now, because they’re made of rubber and other things, they do have a finite life and they do need to be replaced on a regular basis. That regular basis is every four years or 60,000 miles. And, in the meantime, you should be checking them regularly, at least once a… Read More
Gaskets
Both for do-it-yourselfers and the professional technician, fixing cars is becoming more complicated by the minute. Now even a simple job like replacing a gasket can become very involved these days. First we start with all the different gasket materials that are out there, the sealants, the gasket makers, the adhesives and all of these. See, there are literally… Read More
Cooling System Maintenance
Antifreeze; coolant. Whatever you call it, it’s still the same thing. It keeps the car from boiling over. It keeps the car from freezing. But there are a lot of mistakes that most drivers make. The first and foremost one is if a little bit is good, a whole lot is better. Wrong. The proper concentration for most areas of the country is going to be 50 percent… Read More
Lug Nuts
Here’s a tool that can be wonderful or horrible, depending where and how it’s used. It’s an air impact wrench, and the way that it is most often used improperly is in the installation of wheels. Technicians like to use this because it’s quick and efficient, but they frequently use it with just a conventional socket on the end of it, and that can lead to stripped… Read More
Problem Solver
This time we’re going to talk about some problem solvers. First, screwdrivers. You know, over the years there have been hundreds of different designs on screwdriver handles, but none of them have really worked all that well, that is until now. Snap-on has come up with an ergonomically-designed screwdriver handle that fits your hand, so it’s very comfortable, plus… Read More
Details, Details
The difference between having a car that looks like the left side of this image and one that looks like the right is proper preventive maintenance on the paint. Well, that’s going to require a little input on your part. You have to take care of the paint, preventive maintenance. And if you go out and start looking at products, well, it can be pretty daunting… Read More
New Products
This time we have some interesting new automotive products. First is the Hazet Assistent Tool Trolley by Baum Tools. It’s pretty clever in as much as it rolls around, and it’s collapsible. All these shelves go down and they form a very small, compact unit. Nice trays to keep everything in order. It does a good job. Now on your automobile you may not have all the… Read More