Category Archives: Oil Maintenance

Oil change maintenance is important to long engine life.

Just stop in!

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We are your friendly Neighborhood Garage, just stop in.

Too many times I hear this phrase, “I was driving by and you guys looked so busy.” Don’t wait, just stop in. I hear this one too, “I didn’t think you had time to look at it.” Don’t wait, just stop in. We are your friendly neighborhood garage and ready to help. Maintenance ignored leads to a break down on the road. Nobody likes sitting at the side of the road waiting on a tow truck.

Do you have a funky noise? We can look at that. Is it time for service? We do service work on all makes and models. A no start problem is no problem at Tony’s Service Center. Just stop in, we fix broken cars. Car care is a part of owning a car. Car repairs will happen and you need to be ready. Just stop in and say hi.

Need an oil change today?

We use a “synthetic blend” as our standard oil. Servicing you car is the most common reason to visit a repair garage. We use a synthetic blend because it extends the oil life, offering better protection against wear and resists carbon coking. If your car needs full synthetic we stock that too.

Regular motor oil: Regular oil works great for older engines, but if you do not service it regularly and or ignore your service intervals. It can lead to heavy carbon build up “hard sludge” or coking of the internal engine parts. “Coking aka soft sludge” “Coking” is characteristic of a high temperature reactions involving hydrocarbons. On todays small high revving engines, carbon deposits may cause restricted oil flow, shortening the life span of your engine.

Full Synthetic motor oil:  Synthetic oils primary use is in high heat stress applications like Arizona. Jet engines use Synthetic oil. Synthetic oils are great for cold climates too, it will flow normally even in freezing temperatures.  European cars, motor cycles and many of todays small turbo charged engines need full synthetic oils to prevent sludge and carbon build up.

Just stop in and let us know how we can help. 

HeyAnthonyAz.com & TonysServiceCenter.com

 

 

Cheaper to keep her…

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Repair the car you own, it’s cheaper.

At Tony’s we see vehicles in all states of disrepair. A new car will only need basic services and 2 to 5-year-old cars will need bigger repairs as parts wears out. The cars I am talking about are the cars over 10 to 25 years of age and still look nice inside and out.

Just because a repair may be larger than the value of the car is no reason to give up and sell your car. I hear this phrase at least once a day. My car is not worth that. If you have a car that “blue books” at $4,000 and the car needs an AC over haul that may cost $1,800. The repair is worth doing, if your car is in great condition.

Repair it!

If the same $4,000 car needs an engine at $5,100. The car is still worth repairing, but only if the car has been correctly maintained. The car must be in “great condition”. “No accident damage”, good paint, interior is clean plus everything works correctly and you love your car.

In many cases if you go out car shopping you will buy a car that is over $12,000 and you will get a loan to buy the car and your license tags will cost more. Plus your insurance will go up.

It’s less expensive to repair the car you already own. Buying a new car is the same as fixing the car you already own. Now you are making payments vs a repair bill. You must be honest with your self, if you are a person that just does not care for your car. Your car will wear out and fall apart.

A “neglected” car is not worth repairing, junk it and move on

The owner of the car is the reason a car is in good or bad condition, not the repair garage. Let’s face it, some people don’t care about anything unless it’s broken. Preventative repairs and basic maintenance is not important, but a cat video on YouTube will have front row attention. If properly cared for 80% of cars sold would last 15 years or more. It’s up to the owner to care about keeping it in good condition.

2005 Dodge Neon, yes it has road rash, but it’s fixable. This car needs a $390 dollar repair. Any repair that is less than a monthly payment is worth doing.

 

Everyone needs a $1,000 Emergency car fund.

The average “break down repair” at Tony’s is around $650.00. With an emergency repair fund of $1,000 dollars, a $650.00 dollar repair is no big deal. My repair fund is $2,000. I have 2 cars and a service van. If all 3 need minor repairs in the same month, I should be ok.

If you have more than one car you should “add $500.00 dollars for each additional car”. If you have an SUV or European brand, double the amount in the fund.

It’s a fact, it is less expensive to fix a good used car than go and buy a new one.

Heyanthonyaz.com

 

Cheap Parts & Service = Poor Satisfaction!

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The bitterness of “poor quality” lingers long after the sweetness of “low price” is forgotten: Ben Franklin

Fixing your vehicle does not have to break the bank. When a vehicle repair has good value, the cost of the repair is not a huge issue any longer. We use quality parts plus offer a solid warranty. Our goal is to offer vehicle repairs that have value and prevent breakdowns.

Knowing you get what you pay for. Haggling about the labor and using the cheapest parts possible to save money is asking for trouble. Sitting at the side of the road waiting for a tow truck is no fun.

We offer quality repairs with value. All repairs we do must stand up to our 2 year / 24,000 mile warranty. As an independent repair shop we use many dealer parts. The dealer parts fit correctly, and exceed our 2 year / 24,000 mile warranty. The aftermarket parts we use must “fit and function” just like the original equipment dealer parts we install.

Some clients will ask if we can find less expensive parts, and we say yes we can, but the part warranty may not be 2 years / 24,000 miles.

The warranty will be what the parts manufacturer offers, and you get no labor coverage. Our job is to show you the value of doing the repair correctly the first time.

“Fix my car as cheap as you can, Blah, Blah, I am selling it next week.”

Some aftermarket parts may only have a 90 day warranty. Granted most parts should last at least 90 days, but if the part goes bad you get to pay labor again, even if the part has a warranty.

For Example: A car owner goes to a quick lube shop for a 14.95 oil change, and the shop strips the threads out of the oil pan. Anyway you look at this, your cheap oil change just turned into a big mess. Our standard oil change out the door is about $41.00 but it has good value. We do not shortcut the job, just to get it out the door. We spend up to 45 minutes on your vehicle, looking for things that may cause you a break down. If we find issues that need repair, we show you what we found, and we give you prices. We help you plan for your maintenance needs.

For Example: Brake pads have one of the biggest issues with quality vs price. If you go to the dealer, they will only offer one part for your model car, and the price will be high, but the parts fit and work correctly. Now go to an aftermarket parts house, and they may have 5 to 10 different brands of brake pad, all at different prices. Some may work good but make noise, others may wear fast or worse not stop the car correctly. With aftermarket parts you must be selective.

Some aftermarket parts work very good, and if you know what works well, then it’s easy to offer the savings to the client. Our job is to know what works and offer the client the best repair.

For Example: Belts, Hoses and Water pumps have a wide range of price and quality. If I am looking for a belt in the aftermarket, and I can get Bando or Dayco I am happy. I know they are brands that last a long time. For Hoses, I look for the best fit, and rubber quality. The parts quality, affects its service life. A long service life keeps you from having to visit the shop over and over. For Water Pumps, I turn to the dealer 60% of the time, because they just last so much longer.

Fixing your vehicle correctly will reduce how many times you need to visit the repair shop each year. If you own 3 or more cars, you can see how important it is to fix it right the first time. Anyway, It’s not that we don’t want to see you again. We want our clients to be happy they used our services.

We are here to help, we fix sick cars!

With today’s vehicle’s, you visit the repair shop less often, but it feels like the repairs cost more, and more when you visit your mechanic.

Going to the “car doctor” is not on anyone’s top ten list, but when your vehicle breaks down, you know you’re going to spend money.

Preventing breakdowns is what we do. Keeping you informed of your vehicle’s condition let’s you save when faced with bigger repairs. Helping you keep your vehicle in good condition, and preventing breakdowns is our goal.

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We like our clients to visit the shop for service at least every 5,000 miles of driving or once every 4 months. Many things can happen in 4 months of driving. Our clients are always welcome to stop by in between vehicle servicings, for fluid top offs and airing up the tires.

Fix it right, Fix it once.  HeyAnthonyAz.com

Can I bring my own parts?

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When you go to a restaurant, do you bring your own food?

Every month, I have at least 5 people ask if we will install a part they bring in.

Our answer is no.

   It’s not that we do not want to put on your parts. It’s because of the warranty. If we sell you the part, it will come with a 2 year 24,000 mile warranty, and labor is covered 100%

If you bring in your own part, you get no warranty with us, and if the part fails, you pay the labor again to replace the part a second time.

Do we bent the rule? Some times. We have installed clients parts, depending on what the part is, and if it’s for a specialty reason like a classic car or super hard to find part, but they must sign a waiver, stating they understand the repair comes with no warranty, parts or labor.

Think about it, do you save that much?

Fix it right, Fix it once. HeyAnthonyAz.com

FREE Oil Change Monthly Drawing at Tony’s

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FREE OIL CHANGE @ TONY’S ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s time to change the oil!

Enter to win! Win a free oil change, enter your information @ Tony’s contact page.

Enter your contact information on Tony’s contact page & in the message box type “Free oil change monthly drawing” and include the make, model and year of your car.

You will be automatically entered into the drawing for the next months free oil change drawing. Enter as often as you like. The winner of the free oil change will be contacted by Tony’s at the end of each drawing month. The free oil change offer will be running till December 2015

The oil change includes, up to 5 qt’s of 10w30 synthetic blend oil, an oil filter, and under hood fluid top off’s, plus a vehicle safety inspection. This is a $30.00 value at our regular price & a great saving if you win it for free. So enter today, it’s easy and free.

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HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2014 ~ It’s all good under the hood…

Adjust it till it fits?

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Hack Jobs Happen…

I see some crazy short cut repairs (hack jobs). “Hack jobs” by owners, shade tree mechanics and approved auto repair shops. Then I wonder why, why try, why risk a comeback. Why take the short cut in the first place. Why risk loosing a client when the hack job fails, leaving the vehicle owner stranded on the side of the road.

A hack job will fail, it’s a sub-standard repair.

 

Today I had an odd repair issue pop into the shop. Ronda had a fuel pump replaced on her 1995 Chevy Suburban about 30 days ago in Sedona Arizona. The truck has a 5.7 TBI fuel injected engine. (Throttle Body Injection System) Ronda only had one issue with the repair, the fuel economy was reduced by 30 to 40% and this was noticed right after the pump was installed. The shop that installed the pump had double checked the fuel system, and said nothing was wrong.

Ronda had moved to Sedona last year.

The client (Ronda) use to live right around the corner from our shop, but had moved to Sedona in 2013. Ronda happened to be in the valley for some doctors visits, so Ronda stopped in to see if we had time to look at this issue.

Testing showed the fuel system was running too rich. The scan tool (a computer that talks to the car’s computer) showed that the PCM (the car’s computer) was subtracting a lot of fuel. The engine computer uses a pair of fuel trim ratio numbers to display fuel system compensation (larger number = more fuel added to the engine Or a smaller number = less fuel, fuel reduced to the engine). A repair technician can view the fuel trim numbers “live” as they update (in real-time) and watch how the system is operating, rich, lean or normal.

Next I attached a gauge used to test fuel pressure to the engine’s fuel system. The fuel pressure gauge showed that the fuel system pressure was around 19 PSI of pressure. (Why?) The TBI system specification is 9 to 12 PSI. So why was the PSI so high?

I suspected it had the wrong fuel pump installed. So, I removed the fuel pump and found a big mess. What I found was a major issue, the person that did the repairs, must have had a huge loss of reasoning. The part was clearly the wrong part for the truck. When I entered the pump part number into a parts jobber, part interchange system. I discovered the part was the wrong pump for the truck.

The shop decided to adjust the wrong part till it would fit in the tank. But wait, that’s not all. The pump was for a 1996 5.7 MPI engine. (Multi Port Injection System) not a 1995 5.7 TBI system. The 1996 MPI system runs at 60 to 66 PSI. This is clearly too much pressure for the system to handle. To bleed off the high PSI. The shop that made the repairs, had removed the hose clamp to the PSI fuel coupling hose that connects the fuel pumps outlet pipe to the metal pipe going out to the engine’s fuel injector’s. Plus the old fuel pump harness was installed on the new pump, and the electrical connector had a broken retaining clip.

The adjustments and compromises should have never happened, but they did.

Just buy the correct part, and if the part arrives wrong, get the correct part. The correct part was available in Flagstaff, less than a 2 hour round trip from Sedona. The client had already waited 5 days, what was one more day to get the right part.

We fixed the truck and it is running correctly, with the correct part. The client is happy and the mileage is back to normal. Plus Ronda will be bringing her truck to us when ever she is in town every 3 to 4 months.

Keeping up on the needs of an older vehicle may seem costly, but if you do the math. The right older vehicle can be cost-effective in the long run. Every vehicle needs repairs someday, new or old.

It’s all good under the hood, heyanthonyaz.com 2014

4 months or 4000 miles

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Oil Change Interval

A new car will not need as much attention as a car with 120,000 miles, but new cars will have service needs too. Just because its new is not a reason to over look good service habits.

The simple method for regular oil changes; New vehicles, up to 3 years of age or 40,000 miles, will mostly need basic services, oil changes, fluid top off’s and tire rotations. Follow the normal service intervals in the owners hand book, and you will be doing great.

Regular motor oil Intervals can range from 3,500 to 7,500 miles. Full synthetic oil services can range from 7,500 to 15,0000 mile intervals.

Some repair shops, like Tony’s Service Center, have switched to Heavy Duty blended motor oils for our oil change packages.

What is a blend? It’s a mix of regular motor oil and synthetic oil. It’s a better product, and it protects your engine better than a regular motor oil.

All new vehicles sold, come with a owners hand book.

Most owners do not read it cover to cover, its boring stuff. In the back of the book, it lists your service and maintenance needs from 0 miles to 120,000. Servicing intervals are-listed two ways. Normal service and Severe service, most cars will fall into the Normal service area.

Life after 40, “the honey-moon is over.”

Vehicles older than 3 years or with 40,000 to 120,000 miles; Ok, parts are starting to wear out. Belts, Hoses, Brakes, Batteries and Tires are the most common repair needs.

Major fluids will need replacement services, and you will still have basic oil changes to do, so continue to follow the normal service intervals in your vehicle hand book. Your vehicle is starting to show its age. Prompt maintenance and repairs will prevent break downs…

NOTE; Fluid servicing is a big part of a vehicles long life. No fluids are life time. Some car makers will say they have life time fluids. GM found out painfully, that Dex-Cool, a life time coolant, was a very bad idea. “No fluids last the life of the vehicle.”

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My car only has 33,000 miles on it…

Just because your vehicle has 33,000 miles on it, does not indicate that it’s in new condition. A 12-year-old car that has 33,000 miles on it, will still need service just like a car that has 120,000 miles on it. ( It’s all about ) “Time in Service”

Vehicles over 8 years old or 120,000 and up; It’s time to step up the service intervals to severe service. Why? The vehicle is getting older and will need more services to keep it in top condition. “More repairs, more services, more love.”

How does regular servicing prevent break downs?

Having a trusted repair shop looking at your vehicle is essential to keeping your vehicle in top condition. Jumping from shop to shop is no good.

Having the same shop looking at your car will allow them to watch your needs. Loyalty will help the shop give you advice that is correct for your needs. Plus your service advisor can show you how to budget for future repairs.

It’s all good under the hood. HeyAnthonyAz.com 2014

 

 

You broke it!

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Automotive repairs can cause high tensions with a vehicle owner.

In a perfect world, everything is free and nothing ever goes wrong… Every day I work with clients that understand that the vehicle they own will need service and repairs. The owner knows that a quality repair will cost something.

Finding good prices and honest service is the clients #1 objective.

I never force a client to do a repair with me. I give the client an estimate for the repairs needed and the client can say yes or no. Once the repairs are finished. I drive the vehicle and make sure the repairs are done correctly.

The goal is to fix it right the first time. When I return the vehicle back to the client, I know everything related to the repairs is working correctly.

It never did that before you worked on it! You broke it!

When a client says, it never did that before you worked on it.

I ask the client to stop in and show me what is going on. I will look at the clients issue, and find out how it may be related to the repairs preformed on the last visit.

99% of the time, the clients issue is not related to the last repair, it’s a new repair.

Sabotage or coincidence?

Some times things happen we can’t control. So I work hard to make sure all new issues are addressed one at a time and quickly. When I work on your vehicle, your car is in the shop because it’s broken or needs service. If something goes wrong while your car is in my care, I will openly tell you. I have no reason to hide an oops. Some times things just happen and we move on.

Case in point, Sam’s car was in for an oil service and 4 new tires. During the service work I found a left, low beam head lamp was not working and the upper radiator hose was leaking coolant.

The bulb was old and had burnt out and the hose was 10 years old and ready to be replaced. I asked Sam if he would like to replace both of the head lamps together and take care of the leaky hose. Sam said NO to both repairs. A week later Sam was back saying, I must have done something to the other head lamp, because now it does not work. Sam was angry and wanted me to give him both bulbs for free and put them in for free.

I said to Sam. Do you remember our talk about how light bulbs age and the other bulb could need replacement very soon? Plus, I asked you if you would like to replace both bulbs during your last visit, and you said NO!

Sam had zero recall about what we talked about, even though it was on Sam’s last repair order. Sam was very upset because I would not give him the bulbs for free.

I offered to install the bulbs at no labor charge, but Sam would have to pay for the bulbs.

It was not my fault that the bulbs had burnt out, but because I was the last person to work on the car it was my fault the other bulb stopped working.

Sam stormed off angry.

5 weeks later Sam’s car was back at the shop for the coolant leak repair and 2 head lamp bulbs. Sam said he over reacted to the bulb issue, and trusted our work.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2014

 

Should I fix my old car or buy a new one?

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A New car = higher costs; tags, tax, licence, payments, and insurance.

All of the above costs will be part of a buying new car. When a client says they will just go and buy a new car, I ask why?

90% of the time it is more economical to fix the car you own.

A repair of $600.00 is nothing compared to making $500.00 payments every month, just to have a new car smell. Fixing your old car may seem like it costs a lot, but if the car still looks good inside and out, fix it!

Just last week I did a $4,300 repair on an “all original 1990 300zx” with 73,000 miles on it. The 300zx was very well-kept, and the client was attached to the car. The repair costs may seem high, but the client really likes the car, so to him it was worth it to fix it right.

Most cars from 3 years to 8 years of age will need an average of $800.00 a year in overall preventative maintenance repairs. Tires, Brakes, Oil changes, Radiators, Belts and Hoses are the basic needs of any car or truck.

A/C, Suspension, Engine and Transmission repairs are less common types of repairs, but will happen some day. Over time the repair costs will average out. One year you may only spend $300.00 on basic services and the next year you may need to repair the brakes and replace the tires at $1400.00.

Consumer Reports is a great place to find out about repair costs for the new car you may want to buy. Keep in mind that this is for new cars.

For used cars, over 75,000 miles I use a vehicle service formula. You may know about how many miles you drive in a year. Use the formula to see if you are above or below the national average for service and repair costs.

Heavy trucks 1 to 1.5 ton; Mileage x .18 cents per mile driven = basic repair costs

Full size cars and 3/4 ton trucks and vans; Mileage x .12 cents per mile driven = basic repair costs

Compact cars, light trucks and mini vans; Mileage x .10 cents per mile driven = basic repair costs

This is just a basic service and repairs list, a guide to calculate average service and repair costs. Costs will adjust up for heavy use or towing, but if you baby your car, the costs would adjust down. For basic service work, use my spare change in a jug method. Again the list above is only a guide.

Buying a used car is an option, but always take it to a shop to be inspected!

Yes, buying a used car is an option, but always take it to a shop to be inspected before you buy it.

Even if you think you know it all. I will assure you, you don’t.

Unless you work on cars and trucks all the time you will miss something that can cost you big money to fix later. If you are out looking at cars, you can go to any AAA approved repair shop to get a used car inspected.

A clean CarFax report does not indicate that the car is good to go. CarFax is only a good guide if the damage and repairs got reported to CarFax.

So just because it has a clean CarFax does not indicate it’s an accident free vehicle.

If your car is still in good, overall condition, fix it! In the long run, it will save you money.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013

 

To Do List…

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To Do!

You have a ton of things that need to get done every week, and to make sure everything gets done, many people will make a to do list.

I use 3M sticky notes or my note pad on my smart phone to remind me its time to pay bill’s or go to the doctor.

Today a long time client popped into the shop with an over heating Dodge Durango. The engine had over heated and stopped running twice on the client the day before, but she never checked the coolant level.

Coolant loss because of a faulty part can happen in between oil change services. That is why, I want all my clients to stop in and let us air up the tires and check under hood fluids once a month. If I find something bad, we can handle it right away. Anyway, it only takes 5 minuets to do a quick check, so why get your hands dirty. Let us do it.

A lot can happen between oil changes, so stop in today & let us check it for you.

In this case the client ignored the (To Do) list on the last work order. The electric pump for pumping engine coolant to the rear heating system was weeping at the plastic body of the pump. I advised the client that it needed to be replaced on this visit, now!

The client declined the repair.

The client did not have the money to do the repair at that moment, so they said they would come in after the next pay-day to do the repair. They never came in, and now the engine has gone bad because the engine got way too hot.

The original leak repair would have only been $290.00 parts and labor. Now the truck needs an engine at $5,600.00. With the cost of the repair being more than the trucks Kelly Blue Book value. The customer once again declined the repair, and towed the truck home.

Pay me know or pay me later. Maintaining your car or truck will cost you less if you stay on top of your maintenance needs.

Waiting till you break down just does not work, and it will cost you more money.

It’s all good under the hood. Anthony Xavier ASE Master Technician

copyright: All rights reserved @ HeyAnthonyAZ.com 2013