Day in a the life of a Auto Mechainc

Wake up early knowing that today there will be problems to resolve. Drink copious amounts of strong coffee to give us the Octane to Overcome. Next the morning briefing of what these crazy cars are doing.  By this time with High Blood Pressure and hearts pumping blood at blowout pressure to our brains, the mechanical melee begins.
 

Strike one the car is acting fine... no trace of the issue.  First car, relegated to run it and Wait and See.  Car two,  have to drive for 30min like on commute to work before it starts acting up.  Grab the computer and hook it up, start driving around and monitor the data streams for irregular performance.


Yes, these are the days in  the life of a mechanic. At Jerry's Garage we love these days because we keep you safe and secure on the road.

How to buy a used car without getting Burnt

Often a person does not want to buy a new car for many reasons, thus a used car is considered.
The ownership experience whether great, bad or somewhere in between is usually dictated by: 1 the manufacturer  ie Honda or maybe a Lamborghini, 2 how did the previous owner maintain and how was the vehicle utilized.


Not all cars are created equally, some manufacturers and year models are know for specific problems. Do some research. Also some vehicles are very expensive to maintain, while others are quite affordable.


Know what you want, start exploring your needs and desires.  Everyone looses when a car is purchased and it is not what you want or need, maybe it is not dependable.  Are you going to take care of a car that you do not like, are you going to subject your self to a bad owner experience?
Make sure you fit in the car and that the drivers seat feels good, drive the car for 30min to an hour.  If you cannot get comfortable, who cares about price it is not for you. Price of vehicle only is a factor once you know what you want or need.


What to avoid when buying a car:


1. any seller that will not let you take the vehicle to a shop to have a Buyer's Inspection- which can reveal all types of problems that the seller want to avoid.
2. any car that the check engine light is on or any car that has had the computers memory cleared recently.


How to Increase your chance of buying a good used car


1. Take to a quality auto shop and have the inspect for leaks, computer issues, body damage or paint and body repairs,  estimate currently needed repairs, road testing. Ask your mechanic what he know about their reliability and or know issues.  Take estimated repairs to Seller and negotiate the price down.


2. Make sure you drive the car at highway speeds and do some stop and go driving, work all the windows and electronics.


3. Try to find a vehicle that you like and if it ever needs repairs you will not be hesitant to repair.  After 30 years at the shop it amazes me how many people hate their cars, and they don't like us. Happy Owner = Car that get proper care = Mechanic who appreciated by Owner.


4. get a Car Fax.  This is a basic tool to find out was this car a rental in a state that has sleet and snow and thus salt on the road and then the rust will come.  Did the car have many owners or just a few?  NOTE- a car fax is not all revealing, at our shop we have found many cars that have had Major Body work and no insurance company reported the repair.  A customer of ours has a car that cannot be aligned because her frame is bent, and the car fax did not show any repairs.  It is so bad that the front tires have to be replaced every 6 months. How can this can happen? If a person pays for a repair out of pocket and does not involve the insurance company.



Short Video On Buying a Used Car.

Tips for Tires On Your Car and Truck

Funny, how the only Safety Item which contacts the road is the one item we all like to skimp on, me included. Buying tires is an expensive and sometimes a confusing task. Generally speaking better quality tires will be easier to balance and closer to being perfectly round. Yes all tires appear round but I have seen new tires that are all out of round and hop and cause noise and develop bad wear pattern (cupping and feathering). Know your self, if you never get your tires balanced or rotated do not waste your money to buy quality. Buy the proper size and load rated tire. Many times people by a car tire for a large suv, which should have a LT tire (Light Truck) because the are less expensive. Ultimately they will not wear properly and decease their projected lifespan. Traction rating is important to some people, and usually the higher the traction rating the less mileage you will get but they will get more traction and will be quieter. To get the most from you tires lives, keep them properly inflated and rotate all four every 10,000 miles.

How to Improve Your Gas Mileage

Like Jerry says "some people drive their cars like a light switch", meaning they are all in the gas or all in the brake. Transitioning from stops to cruising or vise versa has much to do with gas mileage. Temperance while accelerating and developing space between your vehicle and another allows more coasting and less braking hence less accelerating. Also when approaching a stop light begin coasting long before the brakes need to be applied to stop. The #1 way to increase gas mileage is to have your tires properly inflated. Don't buy any snake oil mileage gimmicks. We did a lot of work a few years ago when people bought the airnado devices which supposedly would swirl the air to help mix with the gas in the engine. What a total rip off. The #2 rip off was the magnets that went around the fuel lines to allegedly make the hydrocarbons molecules equally disperse thus making combustion more efficient.

We like to offer tips for our clients and readers.  Little actions we take usng our vehicle will help save you money in the long run.  Gas is at a good price right now however, I think we all realize prices will not remain low forever.

Todd Frank
Owner Jerry Garage

How to Know When Your Air or Cabin Filter Needs Changing in Your Car

It is always a good time to buy. It cannot always be a good time to buy what somebody is selling. Next time you are told you need an air filter, or cabin air filter, ask to see it. If you can hold it up to the sky and see light coming through the pleats it does not need to be replaced. Check your records if you are replacing your vehicles air and cabin filters more than once in three years you are most likely being retailed. Exceptions would be if your constantly shedding dog shares a lot of windshield time with you, or if you drive in a very dusty environment frequently.

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Transmissions Fluids and Education on Repairs

Does it really matter what fluids are used when a service or part requires topping off of a system? We build several transmissions a year because an improper fluid was not used. Some businesses will use a less expensive universal fluid and then use an additive to allegedly convert the fluid to the proper characteristics. Why would a business even attempt this? Profit margin. Some transmissions, transfer cases, differentials and even power steering units, require expensive fluids. Always use the proper oem fluid. Don't trust any product which claims to be an equivalent. Think about your favorite meal your Mom makes, are really going to be happy when ingredients are substituted? It is not going to be the same. Cars want and need the real McCoy.

We offer full turkey transmission service. Short Video I talk about transmissions.

Quality of Auto Parts (Cheap vs Dealer)

We are all looking for a good deal, right? At Jerry's Garage we take a realistic approach to the parts we use to repair your vehicles. We usually give our customers as many options as possible and will issue warnings if needed. A childhood friend of mine needed a hub bearing for his truck a year ago, and a cheap bearing was around $200 and a dealer bearing was almost $500.

 I explained to  him the dealer bearing would last longer, he opted for the cheaper price.

Here we are a year later putting a new OEM (original equipment manufacturer) bearing on to replace the aftermarket bearing.  Be aware Cheaper is not always less expensive if you pay for the job twice. 

If a job is expensive in labor to replace a part, would you rather risk putting a cheap part in or would you want the best part available? At Jerry's we advise our customers based off our knowledge and experience. We provide out customers with best information and pu the final choice in our customers hands.

We are located in Round Rock Texas.  Family owned business open the doors in 1967.  We take great pride in taking care of our customers.

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