wheels - middlesex county · 255 northumberland hwy. • callao, va callao auto repair service...

WHEELS Fall & Winter Care • 2011

2 • WHEELS • October 13, 2011

WHEELS is a supplement published by the Rappahannock Record, P.O. Box 400, Kilmarnock, Va. 22482, (804) 435-1701 and the Southside Sentinel, P.O. Box 549, Urbanna, Va. 23175, (804) 758-2328.

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WHEELSFall & Winter Care • 2011

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1982 - 2012

30YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

✁

More than a machine ................... 3

Tips to prevent over-correcting .... 9

Keep motors running smoothly .... 8

The ‘five o’clock surprise’ ........... 10

Steps to cut gas costs .................. 11

Distracted driving ....................... 9

cover photo by Tom Chillemi

October 13, 2011 • WHEELS • 3

If there is one invention that has changed mankind, it’s the automobile.The automobile has defined our world for

just over a century. And in that short time, it has become something we rely on to get us where we want to go.

But some motor vehicles are much more

than a necessity—they get into our psyche. They hold memories, like going for ice cream on a summer night, riding to grandma’s house for Christmas, going on dates, vacations and adventures . . . the list goes on.

These memories wait as a faithful servant until we need them. And come to life with

a turn of a key. It’s no wonder we’ve grown attached to these shiny metal cars.

If you ever need to jump start a dinner con-versation, ask someone about their car. We did just that, and readers responded with sto-ries about their favorite cars—vehicles that are much more than machines.

My favorite car is a 1970 MGB GT Coupe. It rolled out of the showroom in Arlington

in April 1970 and was born at British Leyland Motors in England in December 1969.

First, the seat rails need to be adjusted for my 5’2” frame. (Was that a “sign?”)

Early on, my husband, Tom, had a “buyer’s remorse.” As soon as he started complaining about how much he disliked the car, I sug-gested he go back to our VW. He has never become enamored with the MG and over time his most printable nickname for the car has become “The Antichrist.”

I like driving a somewhat unique classic car. I feel it fits me and my personality, and as long as I have Dennis and Jimmy at Bay Auto to keep it finely tuned and Carlos at Moss Motors in California sending parts (at a price) we’ll never part.

Tom maintains that when the time comes, he will have a hole dug in the front yard and bury me and my car in it together.

More than machines

As a high school junior in 1956, I worked after school at a frozen food

plant in western Pennsylvania. My first car was a 1941 Chevrolet that I bought with some of the money I’d earned. I don’t remember the odometer reading, but I bought it for $100.

It was a dumpy-looking thing that

provided me with independence. It had a simple straight 6-cylinder engine and, of course, no air conditioning. Back then, I could fill up the tank for about $5.

Before leaving for college, I sold it to a high school buddy for $75. Ultimately, my friend’s brother borrowed the old Chevy and wrecked it.

“Independence”

by Jon E. Baer, Kilmarnock

by Luci York, Kilmarnock

Buyer’s remorse?

My favorite vehicle wasn’t really mine, it was a company box

truck that I got to drive all across the country. In a short span of three years I was able to drive though, and experience, all 48 mainland states, and work in almost every major city in the U.S.. Thank you to Ken Rogers and all the people at Atlantic Express for making the adventure of those memories possible!

I had a 1984 Toyota Van with a 22Y engine that I had bought for $500 from a courier company in Southern California. It had 300,000 miles

on it when I bought it, but I drove it for years and finally sold the van with 635,000 miles on, and it was still running perfectly.

After learning how to drive in Korea, I returned to Baltimore and needed a car for my college days in

Philadelphia. No first car could have been better than a ‘31 Ford Model A, which I bought in 1948 for $350.

After replacing the engine from Sears, I was ready to roll and make all kinds of friends. Had it for three years and sold it for $175. Wish I had it now.

Cross-country adventureby Mat Williams, Middlesex

635,000 miles

by Craig Donor, Middlesex

Wish I had it nowby Bob Ramsey, Urbanna

,

,

by Tom Chillemi


I was 16 and had finally con-vinced my parents to allow me

My first car was a 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air, white over black, which I purchased upon returning home

from my freshman year in college (in those days the college I attended did not permit freshmen to bring vehicles to school). It cost me the grand sum of $125 in that summer of 1965.

The Chevy’s odometer read that it had traveled around 60,000 miles, but my father opined that it prob-ably was on the second time around, and he likely was correct. The engine was a straight six, the transmission was automatic, and my dad—so much more mechani-cally inclined than I would ever be—taught me how to do all the things that the average car owner no longer can do today because modern automobiles are so complex. I could change the oil and filter, replace the air filter and adjust the carburetor, gap spark plugs, and do a host of other maintenance tasks.

As soon as my dad was satisfied that the Chevy

would be road-worthy and reliable, I drove it from our Long Island home to New Hampshire, where I had taken a summer job. The car went back to college with me in the fall and provided me with transportation until graduation.

My wife and I went on our first date in this vehicle that I had come to call “Betsy,” and by the time we were married, my Chevy had traveled roads from Maine to Maryland and from New York to Illinois.

After our wedding, with my wife teaching in a parochial school and me in graduate school, it became clear we couldn’t afford to keep two cars. My wife’s car was a full decade younger than Betsy, and the decision was clear. With some reluctance I sold my Chevy to a young man who attended our church. Within two weeks he had totaled it.

All these many years later, I still feel a little pang of loss when I see a lovely 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air.

Every generation has customized their cars. Jimmy Pitts’ first car was a 2-door hardtop

Victoria—the crown jewel of Ford lineup for 1953.

Pitts, of Urbanna, bought the car in 1959 and started customizing it. Pitts had it “nosed and decked,” which took all chrome off the hood and trunk and filled the holes with lead. He then had the car painted solid black.

The rear of the car was lowered 2 inches. He added 1955 Oldsmobile tail lights, and full-flared fender skirts with drip mounding at the bottom.

Jimmy and his dad, the late John Pitts Jr., souped up the Ford V-8 flathead engine. They added an “Isky” performance camshaft to get more fuel into the cylinders. Eldebrock finned racing heads gave it more compression and the finns dissipated the heat better.

An electric fuel pump was need to deliver more gas to the 3 Stomberg 97 carburetors that were mounted on an Eledebrock intake manifold.

“Glass pack” mufflers made the dual exhaust thunder. “It really sounded good,” said Pitts. “In fact, they sounded so good, I got a ticket for having them.”

The seats were upholstered with black and white pleated and rolled naugahide leather.

It had full racing “baby moons” wheel covers, and wide white-wall tires.

As the 1960s dawned, Urbanna had a car club called the Rappa-Creepers (creepers refers to the wheeled creepers they laid on to work under the car). Members worked on their cars together and a good friend and club member, Clarence Gresham, put a 3-speed floor shifter in the Ford for Pitts.

“It ran so good I got my first speeding ticket,” said Pitts, who didn’t know how fast he was going because the speedometer only went to 100 MPH and the needle was buried.

Although that Ford Victoria has been gone for more almost 40 years, Pitts hasn’t forgotten

the way it made him feel for the three years he owned it. “I’d love to find that car or one like it to restore,” said Pitts. “I have many good memories. I had more fun in that car than any car I’ve owned since.”

100 MPH and counting

by Tom Chillemi

to spend my hard-earned money and buy my first car, a white 1968 Volkswagen Bug for $400. I loved that car.

The heat and air did not work and sometimes it took a few tries to get it started. I was only allowed to drive within a certain radius, since the car was not reliable.

Terry Walton Harrow and I decided to go to Yorktown beach. After leaving home, we thought Virginia Beach would be more fun. On our way home from Vir-ginia Beach, the VW broke down, fortunately on this side of York-town! Our parents never knew Virginia Beach had been our des-tination that day.

I later went to college and took the VW. One day after microbiol-ogy at VCU, the VW would not start. A nice man offered to help me jump the car. He handed me the cables to connect to my bat-tery, which was under the back seat. He said, “Ground these.” I sat them on the ground in the snow!

That weekend my parents decided the VW must go. For years, I wanted another Bug. When the new Bug came out in 1998, I was hooked. But with three boys, a Bug was not the car for our family. The years went by and I continued to have a soft spot for the Bug. In November, 2010, I came home from work and opened my garage to find a new VW Bug.

I’m 16 again!

I remember being 17 and hear-ing about the new VW beetle

coming out and how in love I was with the convertible ver-sion.

I waited patiently for the convertible VW “New Beetle” to makes its grand appearance in 2003, and then I made my first grown-up purchase.

I loved that car—top down and not a care in the world.

$400 worth of funby Bev Norris, Deltaville

Good ol’ Betsyby Rev. Warren Palmer Jr., Deltaville

Not a care in the worldby Leslie Garland, Reedville

$

,


My favorite car was a 1967 4.2-liter dual overhead cam XKE. These Jaguars with their racing heritage were built more for the

track than the highway. The adrenaline rush from throwing an XKE into a series of mountain curves is like cornering in no other car. My car always seemed to say, “Let’s take that turn faster.” Vettes were no competition in the curves.The silver blue Jag was purchased used with 15,000 miles when I graduated from college. My first job was as a public school teacher in Carroll County, Virginia. My take-home pay after taxes and dues was $379 per month. The Jag payments were $326 per month. I drove a school bus and worked nights and weekends at the Mount Airy Airport to afford the car. You could say the Jaguar owned me!When my wife and I married, she had never driven a stick, and this was our only car. After many tears and much non-repeatable lan-guage from me, she mastered the stiff clutch, short shift, and quick steering ratio. However, early on, the clutch and throw-out bearing died. This is a simple repair in American cars, but not so for a Jag—almost two months of my teacher’s pay.And least we forget—Jags were truly ticket magnets! This XKE managed to accumulate five assorted tickets from 1969 to 1971 when it was traded in for a 220 Mercedes diesel that “could not get out of its own way.” But there were no more tickets!

My favorite car was a 1965 white Cadillac I bought

on the eve of my 35th birthday, mainly because my two teen-age boys were outgrowing the back seat of our Volkswagen.

It was 1972 when gas was cheap and high-compression, premium-guzzling V-8s getting less than 10 miles per gallon were the American way of life. No problem. Seven bucks filled the tank for another 250 miles.

I never expected to own a Cadillac, but the price was right—$945. I loved that car. It was big and beautiful. It had long, sleek, classic lines. It floated over the asphalt like an ocean liner. You didn’t park it. You berthed it.

It had luxuries VW owners only dreamed of—air condi-

In 1976 at the age of 15, Michael Taylor of Top-ping purchased his first car—a 1971 Chevrolet

Chevelle. He purchased his car from his next door neighbor, the original and only owner, for $1,200. Michael had worked all summer cut-ting grass to save money for the car, and he still owns it today.

Over the years, Michael has re-built the motor, lowered the car, restored the interior, and replaced disc brakes on the front (had previously been drum brakes).

Michael’s brother-in-law Jay Duke and nephew Jamie Duke operate Duke and Son cus-tomized dual exhaust in Saluda.

With the assistance of his nephew Eric Duke of Mirror Image, Michael was able for the Chev-elle to have a full-body restoration and new paint job. Michael’s Chevrolet Chevelle has obviously been loved and cherished over the last 35 years.

Michael currently lives in Saluda and goes to approximately 25 car shows a year and always brings home a trophy.

I was raised by grandparents in rural Pennsylvania. When I was

around 14 years old Pop taught me to drive a faded green 1952 Chevrolet pickup. It had a metal dash, no radio, two pull switches for headlights and choke, a three-speed shifter on the column.

He taught me to turn wrenches and work on it. I stood under the hood between the fenders and engine following instructions.

Traveling country roads, he would use his hat to swat me for riding the clutch or grinding gears. The day he let me drive into town by myself, I thought I was king of the road.

Home on leave I discovered he sold the truck to another farm kid. I don’t have any pictures of that old truck, except ones I see in my head when I think about Pop.

Some 30 years later I taught my son to drive an old Chevy pickup. One day I sent him to town and watched him drive down the lane. I closed my eyes and saw that old green truck and Pop. I looked skyward and said, “Thanks.”

My first car was a 1959 Austin Healey Sprite. I was single, in college, and small enough

then to fit in this small roadster. It was baby blue, had a soft top, plastic side curtains and was a

chick magnet. I paid $750 for it and sold it for $500 a few years later when my pregnant wife could not fit behind the wheel. We then switched to a not-so-cool ‘56 Pontiac wagon.

tioning, cruise control, power steering and power everything else. Even electric door locks, windows, seats, and a radio that found stations at the push of a button on the floor. That magic radio really mystified the boys in the back seat.

After five years of depend-able service, including a trip to Florida and a drive on the hard-packed sands of Daytona

Beach, she still got less than 10 miles per gallon, but the cost of filling her up had more than tripled. So I reluctantly traded her for a used Toyota.

We still drive an old Toyota. I fondly recall that luxurious feeling of driving that great white land yacht when a Cadil-lac was a Cadillac—but filling that tank today would be flirting with $100.

A lifelong love

A chick magnetby Chris Mills, Reedville

The Jag owned meby Randy Coulson, Urbanna

That old green truck

by Jesse Bowman, Miskimon

White land yachtby Jack Chamberlain, Lancaster

Jack Chamberlain’s 1965 Cadillac on the sands of Daytona Beach in 1976. Hood ornament is his wife, Jo.


James Pitts of Urbanna still has his first car, which his grand-mother gave to him when he was 15 years old and getting

ready to drive.Although Pitts has made a lot of changes to the 1967 white

Ford Fairlane 500, it still holds that special sentimental connec-tion to past and especially to his grandmother.

Pitts had no sooner gotten the Fairlane in 1983 when he began customizing it. He removed the smaller carburetor and replaced it with a 4-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust.

He drove it back and forth to school every day. “It took me everywhere when I was a kid,” he said. “I wasn’t afraid to drive it anywhere.”

He got his first speeding ticket in the Fairlane on Route I-81 on his way to Radford College to see his girlfriend Cynthia, who later became his wife.

Pitts parked the Fairlane from 1986 to 1998. It sat in a garage until Pitts got an opportunity in 1998 for an engine builder, who built NASCAR engines, to drop in a modified 289-cubic-inch engine with 352 Windsor heads. “It was built from the bottom up,” he said. It has been tested on a dynamometer and has more than 350 horse power.

Van Parker of Glenns installed a racing automatic transmis-sion coupled to a 3.90:1 rear end, which gives the car excellent acceleration.

Walton’s Auto Body of Saluda painted it black and restored much of the interior. The seats are still original.

In April 2011, with 69,000 original miles, he installed new head gaskets, an intake manifold, and had custom head work done. New tires and custom wheels set off this 44-year-old muscle car. “I just drive it and have fun,” said Pitts.

But the best part, Pitts said, this Fairlane holds a lot of memo-ries. You could say it’s more than just a car. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

My favorite car has to be my 1952 MG “TD.”In 1953, I bought a brand new Chevy. I soon decided that

wasn’t the car for me and traded it in for the MG. The MG cost $2,145 and I got $1,300 for the Chevy.

The summer of 1953 found me and the MG out touring the western states of Colorado and Wyoming. I even drove the car to the top of Pikes Peak.

In 1954, I camped in Baxter State Park in Maine on my way to Ottawa, Canada, for the Canadian Service Rifle Matches.

That fall I thought I would trade up to an Austin Healey. I met Betty Balinger and that changed my plans. I courted Betty in the MG and we were married on February 12, 1955.

For 53 years we enjoyed the MG on car club overnights, car shows and weekend getaways. Four years ago we downsized and moved into town, sold the MG and the boat. I still have my first love, Betty, after 56 years.

The 1969 Chevelle Con-vertible is the best car I

ever owned.For $3,800 in 1968, you

could order a Chevrolet with almost any drive train option. This car had a Corvette

My first car was a 1952 MG-TD. I was 23 years old,

a first lieutenant in the Army, in Frederick, Md., when I decided it was time to learn to drive. So, I bought a 1952 MG-TD Eng-lish sports car and learned to drive in the Army post parking lot.

I drove it to the courthouse in Frederick, took the writ-ten exam, and went out with the state trooper to take the practical exam. He looked at the car, then my uniform and, I guess, couldn’t believe an officer would not know how to drive. He remarked that he had “never driven one of these,” so I offered the car to him. He drove it all over the area, stopped in front of the place I was to park

I wouldn’t trade it for anythingby Tom Chillemi

it, and asked me to park it. Cars the size of a 1952 MG can be parked in half the space of a normal car, so I parked with flying colors and received a Maryland driving license.

There were several cars of foreign origin on the post. Andrews Air Force Base was a favorite place to have such cars because General Curtis LeMay

to “cease and desist.” I drove my MG to Vermont

in a snowstorm with the top down just to prove that this was a delightful car under any cir-cumstances.

While I had the MG, I courted my wife, who has endured me for the past 56 years. I used this car to transport myself while in dental school, from Richmond to her home in Philadelphia.

When we married, I sold the car. We needed a proper Ameri-can Chevy sedan for practical reasons. During this time we were rewarded with two sons, making this decision even more reasonable.

Shortly after graduation and moving to larger circumstances, I bought a 1949 TC-MG that I drove in gymkhanas (competi-tions), sports car club rallies and autocross events.

was a sports car owner. We all gathered to service the cars and tell lies about performance and exploits in various events, such as sports car races on military nearby bases. This fun ended when Congressional rats with-out sports cars passed an edict

Doris Smith, before she married Rip Radcliffe, takes the wheel of his 1952 MG TD.

Learning to driveby Dr. Edward H. “Rip” Radcliffe, Hartfield

engine, 327 cubic inches, 325 horsepower, 11:1 com-pression ratio (special cam), 4-speed close ratio trans-mission, 3.73 positraction rear end, and free flow dual exhaust system.

by Frank Schaff, Merry Point

Best car I ever owned

First loveby Lawrence M. Taylor, Kilmarnock

,


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The 1958 Corvette was my first car, in 1960.Prior to that I had the 1955

Jeep Willys CJ3 in the picture’s background.

The Corvette was pur-chased from Jim McKay Chev-rolet in Fairfax for $1,500. We later went back and bought the hardtop that was sitting up in the shop rafters, for $25. We sold it for $2,500 in 1961.

It had been drag raced by the previous owner, and had Lakes plugs, solid lifters, 2x4 bbl carbs and traction bars. I burnt up a new set of recaps in 2,800 miles, also put the fan through the radiator one night when I was late for my 1 a.m. curfew (I was 16).

The trip from my girl-friend’s house in Culpeper to my house in Orange was 22 miles, including going through

both towns. I could make it in 20 minutes usually, but only allowed 15 that night. So I was in trouble for being late and for breaking the car.

I learned to drive a stick shift when we replaced Maude and Judy, our plow horses, with a Ford 8N tractor, then the Jeep. The 4-speed Corvette was much easier to shift than the 3-speed on the columns of that era.

I loved the speed rush when the gas pedal was on the floor, the marks and smoke the tires

made and the sounds!Nobody gave anybody gas

money that I was aware of, in the ‘50s. You earned your own money.

The Corvette never let me down, but would occasion-ally lock up its shift linkage. My friend George Ben wanted to replace his Kaiser Darrin, and took it for a test drive. He shifted gears while crossing the railroad tracks, and it stopped right there. Fortunately, he got it unstuck before the next train came.

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Speed rush

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Thanks to all of our readers who sent in

photos and stories hon-oring their favorite cars!


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Located Across From The New Northumberland YMCAOwner Phil White

If your car has been feeling a little sluggish lately, there are some things you can do to get your motor running right again.

First, change your oil and filter. Make sure to use the grade of oil that is recommended by the car. Using the wrong grade of oil can reduce the performance of your car and its gas mileage.

And, do not rely on the oil light in your car. By the time that light goes on, some damage to your engine may already have been done. So, check your oil often. Also check the brake fluid and transmission fluid levels. You should flush the brake fluid, transmission fluid and coolant system every two years or 30,000 miles. Keeping fresh, clean fluids in your car will keep your motor running smoothly.

Two other things needed are replacing your air filter and fuel filter frequently. Clean filters will help keep dirt out of your fuel injectors, fuel pump and engine. If too much dirt accumulates, it will lead to expensive repairs.

You should also change your spark plugs every other year. Worn plugs will cause your engine to misfire and waste a lot of gas. Also, check all the belts and hoses in your car for signs of wear, especially the timing belt or timing chain. If that breaks, it can destroy your engine. When you do replace it, replace the water pump too since the procedure for each is the same.

You can do many of these things yourself. You do not have to be an ace mechanic. You just need the desire, a how to manual and a few tools.

If your car will no longer run please consider donating your car to charity. If you do, it will be picked up fast and free and you will get a tax deduction of at least $500 if you itemize on your federal tax return. The process is easy and there are many chari-ties that can benefit from your car donation. For complete details on how to donate car, visit www.cars4charities.org or call 866-448-3487.

Tips to keep your motor running smoothly


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Don’t panic“If a wheel happens to

drop off the paved surface of a roadway, keep a firm grip on the steering wheel. This is necessary to keep the vehicle traveling straight ahead while straddling the pavement edge,” Barrick emphasized. “You will need to fight the tendency of the wheels to pull to the right if the shoulder is soft. You must also resist any immediate urge to whip the vehicle back onto the pavement.”

Ease offThe next step, he said, is to

ease off the accelerator, causing the vehicle to slow down gradu-ally. “Avoid braking if possible, but if necessary use a gradual braking method, which will enable you to maintain control.

“Slow down until you can safely return to the road, by firmly turning the steering wheel as little as needed to get your vehicle back on the pave-

ment; or, stay off the pavement until a driveway or other surface allows a gradual return.”

Be smoothThe idea is to be smooth,

both when braking or turning. A vehicle’s weight and momen-tum must be kept under control. If wheels drop off the pavement in a curve, the driver has to counteract centrifugal force that pushes the vehicle toward the outside of a turn.

Watch outPlaces were drivers com-

monly run off the road may be identified by the gravel that has been put in the off-road ruts that wheels have dug. Be alert when traveling these sections. As an old safety slogan put it, “Watch out for the other guy.”

Of course, it is best to pay attention and not run off the road, said Sgt. Barrick, but if you do, these safety techniques could save you from a crash.

Tips to prevent over-correcting

by Tom Chillemi

Many head-on crashes are the result of the wheels of a car dropping off the right side of a road, explained First Ser-

geant Kevin Barrick of the Virginia State Police’s Gloucester office.

Some drivers who drop their right side wheels off the road will over-correct and turn sharply to get the car back on the pavement, Sgt. Barrack said. This can result in the vehicle trav-eling into the oncoming lane or running off the other side of the road. These types of crashes occur frequently on two-lane roads.

Sgt. Barrick shared the following driving tips that are part of troopers’ driver training.

The United States Department of Transportation defines three main types of distracted driving: Visual, manual and cognitive. Tex-ting is considered one of the more dangerous forms of distracted driv-ing because it involves all three main types. To text, drivers must take their eyes off the road, their hands off the wheel and their mind off of driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that distracted driving is a significant concern, as 20 percent of injury crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. Eighteen per-cent of fatalities in distraction-related crashes involved reports of a cell phone as the distraction. Metro

Distracted driving is a concern


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Aside from oil changes and state inspections, most people don’t plan

for auto repairs. Generally they are surprised when their brakes squeak because the brake pads have worn thin or the engine won’t start because of an igni-tion or fuel failure.

Suddenly the car owner is faced with an expense he or she did not anticipate. And, because they need their cars and know little about how cars work, they often become con-fused and a little desperate. When purchasing automotive repairs it pays to have a clear head. Ask around among your

friends and relatives for an automotive repair shop they have used and trust.

Unfortunately there are some auto technicians who are less than completely honest in the assessment of what is needed to repair a problem. With many others it is more of a failure to communicate with the car owners and explain fully what is involved before the work is completed. Often the problem is related to the car owner not really listen-ing to what the technician is saying.

In the business they call it the “five o’clock surprise.”

The five o’clock surprise occurs when a car owner has not asked for, or been given, an estimate for the cost of repairs. Often a car owner who is, for example, getting the brake pads replaced does not bother to ask what it will cost. Nor does the car owner ask to be called if anything more than the worn brake pads are needed. They make the mis-take of saying to the technician something like, “I need my car so fix it up and please have it by this afternoon.”

If in the middle of replac-ing the brake pads, the techni-cian finds a worn brake rotor

How to prevent ‘the five o’clock surprise’

by Bob Cerullo

or cracked brake hose, he may not be inclined to call to get permission for the additional work. The car owner may have assumed the brake job would cost what it did three years ago and has a certain figure in mind. If the car owner has not instructed the technician to the contrary, the technician would repair the car and have it ready that day. When the car is picked up, the car owner is surprised when presented with a bill much higher than he or she expected.

Here then is how to prevent the five o’ clock surprise.

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blowing white steam vapor out of the tail pipe and the mechanic diagnoses the prob-lem as a blown head gasket. He may be absolutely correct, but there is a possibility he will find a crack in the engine block once he has removed the cylin-der heads. This would change the price drastically upward. Make sure you discuss the pos-sibilities with your technician and agree that he will keep you advised and will discuss with you anything that will raise the price of his original estimate.

Certainly there are dishonest technicians around; however, generally the problems that occur are not dishonesty, but a failure to thoroughly discuss the work that is needed. There will be times when it is impos-sible for a technician to deter-mine the cost of a repair until he has spent hours finding the problem. Set a limit as to how long he will spend and how much it will cost per hour for him to find that kind of prob-lem. Make it clear you want to be notified if finding the prob-lem exceeds a dollar limit you have set.

It has been my experience that car owners who feel they have been ripped off have often failed to explain to the technician how they feel about knowing what it will cost to repair their cars. Many people

who have a great deal of faith in their technician will give him a carte blanche to repair what ever is needed. Others want to know exactly what they are getting involved with financially. They have a right to know what to expect, but they need to make that clear before any work is performed. Technicians sometimes fail to understand exactly how their customers feel about cost. It is easy to assume the techni-cian is being unfair when you don’t understand much about cars. Often the best way to learn is to ask the technician to explain what he proposes to do and why. And, most impor-tantly, how much will it cost.

Before you condemn a technician because you think he may have ripped you off, ask for an explanation. If you are convinced the technician is being dishonest, take your car elsewhere. There are lots of honest, hard-working tech-nicians eager for your busi-ness.

Bob Cerullo, a certified master mechanic who lives in Deltaville, hosted his own auto show on ABC radio net-work, appeared on the David Letterman Show and numer-ous other TV shows, authored a book titled “What’s Wrong With My Car,” and writes for Motor Magazine and others.

(1) When you bring your car in for repairs, ask for an estimate before any work is performed. Discuss the diag-nostic charge and make sure that price will leave your car in the same condition it was when you brought it into the shop.

(2) Provide telephone num-bers to the technician and make yourself available should the tech need to discuss any additional work with you.

(3) If the work involves major repairs and will cost several hundred dollars, ask for a written estimate before any work is authorized. If, for example, the engine has to be partially disassembled to determine what the final cost

will be: agree on a price should you decide to not proceed with the repairs.

(4) Ask that the old parts be returned to you when you pick up the car. Understand that remanufactured parts like alternator or starters carry a core charge and must be returned to the remanufacturer, so don’t insist they be returned unless you are willing to pay the core charge.

(5) Understand that the tech-nician may not always know precisely how much work is involved and could easily find an additional problem he may not have anticipated. Ask for a best-case scenario price and a worst-case scenario price. For example, let’s say your car is

Gas prices are rising across the country—and the primary reason is the cost of making fuel. While both supply and demand for gasoline have risen in the United States, the worldwide demand for crude oil is up and the supply of crude oil is down. Middle East turmoil and loss of supply have further tightened markets. The increased crude oil costs and higher mandates for ethanol have made gasoline more expensive to make.

Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to offset higher gas prices and keep more money in your wallet. Here are five of them:1. Drive slower. 2. Avoid abrupt stops and starts.3. Don’t overuse your air condi-

tioner.4. Plan your trips in advance. 5. Maintain your car. John Felmy is the chief econo-

mist at the American Petroleum Institute.

Five simple steps to cut down on gas costs

by John Felmy

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continued from the previous page

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