Category Archives: Timing Belt

Don’t be an armchair quarterback.

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I have many clients that use my services because I am accurate and honest about my findings. To be accurate when diagnosing any vehicle, you must look at the problem and run tests.

Testing helps find what is working normal.

Just like going to a doctor, I ask questions about what your vehicle is doing. A no start condition is different from a check engine light flashing at you.

Every issue will have it’s own starting point.

Once and awhile I will get a vehicle in that the owner has diagnosed it with Google or one of the Ai sites available on the web. >> My first response, let me take a look at it.

You can get great information from the web.

I use ChatGPT to find parts for old cars and other vehicle related info. The Ai web sites are only as good as the keywords you use.

So far I have only had 2 clients in 2026 that got a close answer to what the real issue was on there car.

Thats not bad, but it’s not a repair.

I have the advantage over Ai. I interact with the vehicle to gather information. From the testing I do, I can go to my service information systems and check specs and run follow up tests for the problem area.

Ai can not do that.

Ai can be a sounding board for the data I have gathered. Ai will look for related issues from the keywords I use to guide it’s search. I have found many TSB bulletins for know issues on vehicles for all makes and models.

Ai has yet to fix a problem I was looking for, but findings from Ai helped to narrow down my diagnosis. Now, I car write an accurate estimate for the correct repairs for the problem the vehicle came in for.

I use Google and Ai services less than 15% of the time to fix a vehicle. I have a work station that has lot’s of repair information, but sometimes it’s ok to use Ai as a cross check for findings.

Ai does not repair vehicles, I do.

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

 

Yep, it’s broken; Plastics…

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Plastics, they don’t last forever.

Unhappy owners with broken cars arrive at my shop every month, and the owners just do not understand why the car has broken down. Well, if you drive it, it will wear out…..

Todays autos use lot’s of plastics. Auto makers have always used plastic parts, but in todays cars and trucks plastic parts are used for so many things, it can be frustrating when parts don’t last because they are made of plastic.wp-image-33241149jpg.jpg

Today I have a Nissan Frontier in the shop with a coolant leak at a plastic fitting on the heater core. This is a common thing on a vehicle that is 10 years old or older.

The hard part is informing the client that the engine is bad, because it over heated, due to a plastic part that failed. Using plastics to make a car lighter, and get better emissions is great, but at what cost to the client. I would rather have all cooling system parts made from metal. The auto maker makes the parts out of plastic because it’s cheaper to manufacture.

So what do they care if the part fails and the engine goes bad. That’s why they make new cars anyway.

Fix it right, fix it once. HeyAnthonyAz.com