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,