There are currently 12 public questions in the database, with 4 questions waiting for an answer. The answered questions can be seen below! Have a question of your own? The question-form can be found at the bottom of the page!



What is OEM tire matching? - Maria
When tires are manufactured there are imperfections in the stiffness of the tires. At 60 mph these imperfections can cause the wheel to literally slam into the ground 14 times a second. Traditional tire balancing uses counter weights to minimize the effects of these imperfections. The new OEM matching process uses a "road roller" to simulate the road force of the tire being on the vehicle rolling on the ground. This allows us to match the imperfections in the tire with the imperfections on the wheel giving the least vibration and the smoothest ride possible. This process has been used at vehicle manufactures for several years, but is only now being made available to the general public.
Why is there a charge just to "look at" my car? - Lear
In the not too distant past a technician could look under the hood and physically see a problem area in the vehicle. Traditionally engine controls were operated by manual means, either with vacuum produced by the engine or by centrifugal weights within the distributor that advanced the timing as the engine speed increased or by a combination of the two. With new standards of performance and emissions this is no longer enough. Vehicle manufactures found it necessary to design a system to regulate the air/fuel mixture being fed to the engine. They also needed to reduce tailpipe emissions and increase fuel economy to be in compliance with the Corporate Average Fuel Economy laws of 1981. Thus computer controlled carburetors and engine controls were born. Later replaced with fuel injection and then updated types of fuel injection all relying on input from sensors. If one of these sensors or the miles of wiring between them fails, then the engine will not operate smoothly, and may cause the "check engine" light to come on. To find these problems technicians now need to use special computerized equipment to access the vehicles onboard computer system and analyze the affected systems. With this information the technician can test the individual sensors to isolate and repair the problem.
Why must shops remove freon from my car if they discover a leak? - Jen
In the 1970's scientists expressed concerns that Chloroflourocarbons were destroying the ozone layer. By the mid 1980's it was confirmed that CFC's were indeed harmful and one of the worst offenders was R-12 refrigerant used in automobiles. In accordance with the clean air act in 1992 it became prohibited to vent R-12 into the atmosphere. In 1995 this same rule went into effect for the new HFC-134a refrigerant. Shops now are required to purchase and maintain specialized equipment for both types of refrigerant and for the technicians to attend classes and be certified by an EPA-approved organization. State and Federal laws now read that knowingly venting refrigerants is prohibited and impose penalties depending upon the infraction of up to $15,000 state, $25,000 federal per violation per day and possibly jail time.
I have a 2004 Subaru Outback with 130 miles. On a recent trip, while accelerating up a hill, basically "punching it" the rpm revved up as normal, but then the car made a big, nasty bang sound and it shook the car significantly. The rpms dropped down and the car seemed to run fine. Since then I've been careful about punching it, and I have not had the problem again. I'm sure I could repeat it if I tried. My question is: Is it the transmission? Can I do any further damage to it by not bringing it in right away? Am I turning a $200 problem into a $2,000 by waiting to come in? - Tom
Tom, I would probably get that checked sooner rather than later. If the problem is the transmission than continued operation can damage internal components. Maybe the best thing is to come by and take one of the guys for a ride so they can feel it. Thanks for your question. Jon
Question: The following service codes were triggered on my 01 Town & Country Van (P-1776 and P-0700) I understand this to be a solenoid pack replacement. Would you agree and is this the type of work you would be capable of? If so, can you give me an estimate? - Shawn
According to my Chrysler tech those codes could be set by the solonoid pack, valve body, or ecm. There are a couple of locations we need to check power and grounds at to isolate. Give us a call and we'll get you in to get that taken care of. Thanks for your question. Jon Monks Advisor Houska Automotive

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