Hi Everyone!
Sorry to all of those sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting to hear the answer to the Blog posted on the Salem Chamber of Commerce’s face to face page. And for those who missed it I am reposting it here! 

Have I got one for you!
It seems that the summer has just flown by, Labor Day has passed, Kids back at school and everyone is so busy and stressed. Some so stressed that they miss meetings, lose keys, and forget things.
So I have a question for you. What is the worst thing you have forgot?
We will compare notes and see if it can beat mine!
Look forward to hearing from lots of you!
Sincerely,
Harold Wood
President
Harold’s Quality Auto Repair Inc.

Well as I said the holidays for most are frantic, as one of our customers found out. They had been shopping with their 2 year old and baby when their vehicle broke down. They were towed to the shop and after the paperwork, they transferred packages, baby things, car seat etc into a relatives vehicle. Minutes after they left for home we heard a cry “Where’s my mommy!” Unknown to us the two year old who had fallen asleep in the back seat was left behind and now on waking was franticly looking for his parents!
Fortunately the embarrassed father came rushing back into the shop to get the child only seconds after we made the discovery!
It is my observation that both the mother who had carried the baby, diaper bag and pushed the stroller and the father ladened down with car seat, packages and bags had missed the young sleeping angel, who’s rambunctiousness I might add is normally hard to miss!

A Lesson Learned!

Hope you enjoyed this!

I’m asked all the time how long wiper blades should last.  The answer is, of course, that it depends.  Wiper blades are affected by ultraviolet rays, heat, acid rain, road salts, and debris.  And of course just plain use.   On average, we recommend that you change out your wiper blades twice a year.  At the end of winter, you should replace your wiper blades because of all the road debris, ice, cold weather, etc.  By the time summer ends, you have been through a lot of heat and sunlight, and it is time to change them again to prepare for the upcoming rains.

One additional key to maintaining good wiper performance is to not just change out the rubber insert, but change out the whole blade. This will help ensure that your wiper blade is making proper contact with your windshield.

A young woman was asked what engine she had and she replied a 710. The confused technician asked “how do you know it’s a 710″ and she said that it was right on the engine. This is the photo she sent as proof. What do you think?

Here is our commercial which first aired May 2009

(Click to play)

Top of the Mornin to Ya!

Today a customer learned a very difficult lesson!

The story starts last night when the customer came home, parked the car in the garage and went to spend time with the family. Just one little mistake, the customer had turned on the headlamp override switch. This bypasses the automatic shutoff feature! Of course the next morning while in a hurry to get to work, the customer found the battery “Dead as a door nail!” The customer jumped to action and connected a standard 10amp battery charger and rushed off to the daily grind. At lunch time the customer got a ride home from a coworker expecting the battery to have been recharged and ready to go!

Surprise!!! The engine still would not crank!

Now assuming that the battery was bad the customer had the vehicle towed into my shop. Remember what they say about ass/u/me! Whoops should not have said that!
Our technician charged and tested the battery, which passed with flying colors!
Guess what? The car engine cranked over just fine but would not start! Further testing revealed that the computer would not communicate with our scan equipment, nor would it turn on the fuel pump, injectors or anything! After replacing the computer or ECM (Engine Control Module) the car started and performed perfectly!

So what happened? Any guesses?

Hope this keeps the brain cells busy!

Harold Wood
President
Harold’s Quality Auto Repair Inc.

PS: I let you know next time!

Hi Everyone!

Every year with the change of the seasons, I see a pattern in the failures that occur with customers cars. Everyone knows that we go from warmer to colder and back again as the seasons change, but did you know your car is adjusting to these changes?

A newer vehicles computer monitors the temperature and adjust the output of the alternator. In Hot weather the computer lowers the charging rate to keep the battery from getting too hot and boiling off the fluid in the battery. In cold weather it raises the charging rate to overcome the batteries resistance to charge when cold. The battery itself may not be very healthy but work ok when warm as warmer temeratures speed up the chemical reactions. Get it cold however and it may not be able to keep up with demand. Likewise in hot weather the build up of sulfates on the battery plates may come off and fall to the bottom which shorts out the plates and poof no start!

So if you notice a change in the sound or speed of the starter when cranking the engine,
you should have it checked out or you might just get stranded!

Hope you find this information useful!

Harold

Have you ever heard a noise coming from your car that was not there before?

I am here to say, “Do not ignore it!”

A father, who will remain unnamed for this story, was informed by his daughter that her car was making some kind of grinding noise. The next morning the father looked the car over and took it for a short drive. He was unable to find anything wrong! In fact he could not hear the noise! He told her that the noise must be normal and to continue driving the car.
Several weeks went by before the daughter said something to her mother.(Sorry guys this gets really bad for us from here!) Now the mother, knowing her daughter, knew that if she was saying something about it, it must be bad. So she had us check the car out. After test driving the car for about ten feet, we knew where to look and lifted the car up on a lift. When we raised the car off the ground, the right wheel, tire, hub bearing and all fell to the floor!

Can you imagine if this had happened at freeway speeds?

Often people will hear a noise or feel some vibration and continue to drive a vehicle not realizing what could happen! Please stop and have a qualified technician check it out. It can in the long run save you money or better yet save your life!

Why you ask did the father not experience the problem? The bearing after sitting all night had cooled down and the grease in the bearing became more solid, therefore it was better at lubricating the worn bearing in the hub. The daughter later shared with us that the noise early on only happened after driving on the freeway.

Hope this helps! Be safe!