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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1980-11-05, Page 14You don't have to be an Octopus to do a faster, better Radiator job .•• . .yomo to • THE RAD SHOP BAYFIELD RD., CLINTON .-482-9393 (Adjacent to H. Lobb & Sons Equipment) Featuring: RADIATORS for all makes of CARS, TRUCKS, and TRACTORS * BOILING **REPAIRING : * RE-CORING Jerry Cox, Proprietor +Word elv-/49 9fs'4945/kx Special one week only Most cars Ride-O-Matic and Heavy-Duty Shocks are guaranteed as long as the original purchaser owns the car on which they are installed. Plus labor guaranteed 90 days. mom TIRE Built tough with a standard 1-inch bore piston to help restore new-car con- trol with slightly firmer action than orig. equip. Positive dampening for stability. 22-0742X Check these features: 25% more fluid and 40% more ride control than most standard shocks; large, 13/1e piston. Extra rugged for firm control & Each better handling. 22-0401x Installed 95 Each Installed Compare our Total Service: • Set toe, caster, camber • Adjust steering gear • Centre steering wheel • Inapect front and rear suspension includ- ing shocks • Adjust torsion bar where applicable • Check tire pressure and wear Parts and Installation extra —if requited IMMMEMMWZVWWW"'''' (annum TIRE 14 THE BRUSSELS POST, NOVEMBER .4,1900 • • mor repairs xno - en how saves By M. John Troy People are keeping their, cars longer these days and learning how to keep them running at the same time. A spokesman for one national car-painting firm said: "We know from various studies that the average car on the road today is 6.3 years old, compared with- 5.5 years in 1970. So it stands to reason that if people aren't buying new cars, they are fixing their old ones. BoOst in bodywork "We're not doing more business this year in the number of cars we're painting, but our business has increased in the amount of work being done," he pointed out. "People coming into our shops can get their cars painted for about $89. But we're getting a lot of customers who spend $200 to $300 on the average to take all the dings and rust out so their car will look better." And a 32-year veteran mechanic commented: "We're getting more work to be sure, but people are doing the minor stuff, like oil changes, themselves. It used to be that I could charge $15 for a tune- up—plugs, points and the works. Now it can run quite a bit more. No wonder people are doing so much of their own work." Car clinics popular The Automotive Information Council says about a third of all auto engine, tune-ups are being done by cost-conscious car owners. Car care clinics are becoming increasingly popular. Some are specifically designed to instruct women in car maintenance. The veteran mechanic added that it has been his experience in the past that if people weren't buying new cars, "they were spending dough at stations like mine to fix up their old ones. "But that's not always. the case now because many repairs are postponable. If the car you're driving stops, you get it fixed so it is, running again. But if it's only weak shocks, you don't spend the money because you can get along without them." A transmission repair company spokesman said: "Our business has been relatively flat, compared with last year. The number of franchises is growing, but there has been no increase in our business in relationship to the drop in new car sales. "You have to remember that driving as a whole is down -somewhat all across .the coun- try. And if driving is down, it stands to reason that mechan- ical failure in transmission is down alko." New engine does it The Automotive Engine Re- builders Association is having a • boom year, "We're busier now that we've ever been," a' spokesman for the Chiago- based organization said. "This year, we have 2,400 rebuilders who are members of our group. Last year, we had 2,200.7 AERA's members report that people are buying rust-free cars in the South and Southwest and getting a rebuilt engine. Then the car is practically as good as new. The AERA spokesman said the average price of a short- block rebuilt engine—without cylinder heads—is about $330 to $450, depending on the cubic-inch displacement. The average price for a long block—with the cylinder heads—is about $450 to $600. "That's a pretty cheap price to pay for what essentially is a brand-new engine, completely rebuilt," he observed, noting that the skyrocketing cost of buying and financing a new car makes it easy to see why people are opting for rebuilt engines. The National Automobile Dealers Association, using a study prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency, said that at an average of 12,000 miles per car, half of all the cars six years and older burn around 14.6 billion gallons more than comparable current-type models. NADA, of course, wants the older , models off the, road because it would help new car sales. The organization said if people would trade in their old cars; they would get 51 percent greater gas mileage; a safer, more durable, more comfortable car;- and additional saving on maintenance, "If just one out of every four owners of median-age cars bought a new car, it would save as much oil as we imported from Iran in a year's time," a NADA spokesman remarked. Rebuilders optimistic A publication of the Automotive Parts Rebuilders Association noted that the prevailing mood in the rebuilt auto parts industry is buoyant optimism. "Cars are getting more expensive and people are keeping them longer, which is good news for the rebuilders," it observed. The Automotive Information Council has produced a booklet to advise car owners how to deal with mechanicS. Entitled "Communicate with Your Mechanic and Save," the 'folder offers tips on how to describe problems to. the mechanic or service writer. It tells how to select 'a service facility'and how to-make better use of the owner's manual. Single copies are available free of charge by, sending a selfaddressed, stamped envelope to the Automotive Information Council, P. 0. Box ' 273, Southfield, MI 48037. Easy with that frozen battery If you have a dead battery and are attempting to give it a jump-start in temperatures be- low 15°, use extra care. According to Car Care Coun- cil, the danger of an explosion • from sparks near the vent holes is much greater when the bat- tery is frozen. The Council says one should neither charge nor jump-start a frozen battery. Instead, it should be re- moved and taken inside to de- frost before it is put back into service. Further cautions regarding the use of a charger: 1. Charge only in a well- ventilated area. 2. Protect your eyes when making connections, keep sparks and flames away from the battery, which emits explo- Sive hydrogen gas. Wear safety goggles. 3. Be sure the electrolyte is up to the proper level. 4. Keep a damp cloth over the vent caps. 5. Be sure the charger switch is in the off position and that the charger is unplugged before connecting or disconnecting it. 6. Make the positive connec- tion first. Be sure the negative connection is to a good ground away from the battery if the charger is being connected will the battery in the car. Get a gauge An inexpensive device that Can help save gas is a simple Vactrum. gauge. Mailable. in most auto stores for about $10, these instrU- Ments are easy to connect and mount on or near the instrument panel to tell the driver when he. is too "heavy fOoted," Calibrations may be rinineti- Cal, reading in inches of Met- Cury and/or in "poor, fair and. good" scales to help the driver ettablish the optimum balanCe. between speed and fuel .edon omy,