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.
After The Fender Bender
This is something that happens thousands of times across the country every day. Two cars innocently bump together, the drivers get out, they look….and they, well, they don’t see any real damage, so, have a nice day, and they walk away from it. Well, remember one thing: That the outside of the bumper, the part that you see, well, that is purely cosmetic on… Read More
Pat’s Cool Truck
The most popular cars on the road aren’t cars anymore. They’re pickups and sport utilities. Well, one thing because they are so commonplace, well, you see the same vehicle that you’re driving on every corner. And a lot of people don’t like that. Well, I didn’t, so we elected to customize my 2000 Ford F150 pickup. We started with a Lund molded bug deflector. It… Read More
Stick On Woody
this time we’ve got a couple of really slick do-it-yourself jobs. First is something that deals with anti-theft. Now, everybody has to worry about their car being stolen. Well, this is kind of interesting. This is a product called Auto Etch. And what you do is you etch the VIN number of your vehicle into all of the windows, the windshield, the back window,… Read More
RV Buying Advice
Pat Goss: A lot of people are considering buying motor homes or RV’s these days. Now, to help us sort through some of the complexities of this, we have Mr. Dave Humphreys of RVIA. Hi, Dave. David Humphreys, President, Recreational Vehicle Industry Association: Hi, Pat. Pat: Now, number one thing, what should they be looking for? Dave: I think the main thing… Read More
RVing 101
Pat Goss: Every year more and more people are enjoying the highways and the scenery in our country by RVing. And to help explain some of the differences in the various types and so on is Mr. Dave Humphreys President of the RVIA (Recreation Vehicle Industry Association). Hi, Dave. David Humphreys: Hi, Pat. Pat: All right, first. What are we looking at right… Read More
Line It Up
A lot of people think that they need alignments a lot more frequently than they really do. Now there’s some pretty amazing things going on as far as alignment equipment these days. It’s sophisticated, it’s computer controlled and all the rest of it. But the average driver doesn’t seem to understand when they really need an alignment. See, there’s hardly a day… Read More
Cool It
Air conditioning is nothing new. As a matter of fact, a ‘56 Ford Victoria has factory air conditioning. And back then, and for many, many years to follow, the refrigerant that was used in these systems was R-12, or what everybody came to call Freon. Well, Freon, or R-12, production ceased on that in 1995. Now, some of it is still available, but it’s outlandishly… Read More
New Tires For Classic Cars
Goss: John, lots of folks are into restoring antique collectible cars, they build hotrods, all kinds of things. But when they get all done, they may have a problem, and that is what to do with the tires and wheels to make the car look authentic or give it that look that they want. And to help us with that, we have Mr. Corky Coker of Coker Tire. Coker: Hi,… Read More
Tech Tools
It certainly helps when you have a problem with your automobile if the repair shop has the proper tools to diagnose that problem. Well, here are some of the things that you should look for if you have specific problems. If you have a check engine light, make sure that your repair shop has a gas cap tester [left] because a faulty gas cap on a 1995 or newer car can… Read More
Loose Parts
Virtually all cars these days have some sort of gas-charged strut. You find them on hoods, on trunks and hatches. They’re what make the hatch, or whatever item it is, move up and down smoothly and keeps it up in the air. You don’t want it to come thumping down on you, and that does happen because these struts can wear out. So, there’s something new out theres by… Read More