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.
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
XM Radio
Summer’s coming up and that means lots of us will be taking long trips in our cars. That also means that we have to get together some entertainment: Our CDs or, heaven forbid, the old cassettes. Well, that also poses the problem of having to change them repeatedly to keep things fresh. Well, now there is an answer. It’s Digital Audio Radio Service, or Satellite… Read More
Modern Diagnostics
One of the most common problems on late model vehicles is the never ending yellow check engine lights that we’re all faced with. And that leads a lot of drivers into some very expensive repairs, because there are a lot of mistakes that are made in finding the cause of these check engine lights. The most typical thing that happens is that a scan tool is hooked up… Read More
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