$4.00 A Gallon Gas Has Arrived

Taken on yesterday at the corner of Wardlow and Long Beach Boulevard in Long Beach, CA.



Is this really so shocking? I don't think it is that shocking except 2 blocks away there was another gas station with premium at $3.49 and people were still filling up with $4 gas just down the street! Perhaps that shouldn't be as galling to me as it is because this station is just off the 405 freeway and so people who don't know the area might not know any better. What really scares me is that there were probably some patrons who didn't notice or didn't care.

From a recent New York Times article:

The increases could not come at a worse time for the economy. With growth slowing, high energy prices that were once easily absorbed by consumers are now more likely to act as a drag on household budgets, leaving people with less money to spend elsewhere. These costs could exacerbate the nation’s economic woes, piling a fresh energy shock on top of the turmoil in credit and housing.

What does this mean to the auto industry? Probably sales of new cars and cars that don't get good MPG will really start to falter now but not because buyers are making good choices but because they want to not care rather than they having to be more practical.

The people who didn't drive 2 blocks down for the cheaper gas will probably still keep buying new and don't care or won't notice.

A good discussion of the NYT article is on Jalopnik.

Stumble It!

Buying A Car That Needs To Be Shipped

Dear Miss Mota Mouth,

I am planning on buying a car that I found online but it has to be shipped because it is out of state. What is the process for this?

Eric in Idaho

According to eBay, 70% of the cars sold on that site are sold across state lines so buying cars that are not local to you is increasingly common because buyers are realizing that some cars are cheaper in other parts of the country or have had kinder climates that have kept them in better condition.

First you should get it inspected by a qualified mechanic- http://www.inspectmyride.com has a national network of mechanics who will go do a full inspection on your behalf and you don't have to be there.

For payment, consider using a service like escrow.com which will take care to insure that payment clears and that they car is being sold in stated condition. They will even do the tax, title and license for you and you and the buyer can split the cost because it protects you both.

As for transportation companies- you will have to decide if you want a covered transporter or not and cost will determine what you decide in the end but it is advisable to get good digital pictures of the car before it goes on the truck just protect you. Many transporters can provide additional insurance but make sure that it covers everything that you may worry about.

That pretty much sums it up- good luck!

Stumble It!

Motachanic: Shaking Steering Wheel Issues

Question: When I get my car over 70 mph, the steering wheel starts to shake. What does this mean?

There are several problems that can account for this problem. Without actually riding in the car myself, I can't know for sure exactly what problem you are having, so I will try to cover as many as I can given the information that you have provided to me.

• Loose lug nuts: Check your lug nut torque. Typically it is around 80 ft-lbs for most passenger vehicles. If you don't have a torque wrench available, just make sure they are all tight.
• Low or flat front tire: Check the tire pressure in your tires. Inflate the tires to the pressure indicated on the sidewall of the tire where it says "Max psi (cold)"
• Dented wheel: Do you view curbs as suggestions? Do speed bumps make you speed? You may have a dented wheel. Check both sides of all the wheels for any flat areas along the area of rim where the tire meets the rim (bead). If your wheel is dented see your local wheel specialist to see if it can be repaired.
• Road flotsam on halfshaft (front wheel drove only): look in between the engine and the wheels. Notice the straight steel bar that connects the two? Those are your axle halfshafts. Ensure there are no rags, clothing etc caught on the axles. The rubber boots at either end of the axle are supposed to be there.
• Irregular wear on tire: If the tire is worn irregularly, or if there is a deformity of the tire such as a broken radial cord. Take a look at the front two tires on your car, check the side opposite the lug nuts too. If there are any deformities, replace both fr4ont tires and have your struts replaced and get an alignment performed.
• Improperly balanced tires: Have a reputable shop check and re balance your tires for you. Wheel weights do fall off sometimes so don't assume that the last mechanic who mounted your tires screwed up.
• Severely warped brake rotor one one side: If the problem gets worse when you apply the brakes, have your brake rotors turned and your pads replaced
• CV Joint damaged (front wheel drive only): Look in the front fender wells. If there is an excessive build up of black sticky goo everywhere then you probably tore a CV Boot a while ago and didn't know it. Take your car to your local mechanic and have him replace the CV Joint and boot.

If none of the above have resolved the problem then take the car to your local mechanic.

Grimy Handshake,
The Motachanic

Stumble It!

Selling A Car With A Loan On It

Dear Miss Mota Mouth,

I want to sell my car that has a lien on it. How does this work? Do I keep the car until I get the title from the lender? Will someone give me a check for a car that they cannot have right then?

Ben in Garden Grove

Once you have sold the car, received payment and are delivering the car you should both (buyer and seller) sign a sales agreement that states that you will be getting them the title by a certain date. A good Bill of Sale will protect you both. In order to facilitate this call the lender and ask how long it takes to process a lien pay off and receive a title and ask them how to do this the fastest.

You don't have to keep the car but you will need to keep the insurance on it until you are sure that it is transferred completely.

Don't take a check for the car unless you can go to the bank with them and make sure that you can cash it- there are too many fraudulent buyers out there! You could use an escrow service to help you out with the payment part and split the fee with the buyer.

Good luck!

M

Stumble It!

Flashing Oil Engine Light- The Motachanic Speaks

Your car is equipped with an oil level sensor that lets you know when your oil level is very low. The sensor is either a hydrostatic or float type sensor depending on make/model/year of your vehicle. The hydrostatic sensor detects oil pressure and is usually mounted in the engine block oil gallery or plumbing after the oil pump. A float type sensor detects the level of oil in the crank case itself.

Hydrostatic: When there isn't sufficient oil in the engine to produce oil pressure then the light goes on (most common)
Float: When the oil level in the crank case drops below a certain level, the light goes on. (older cars)

The oil in your crankcase is sucked up through the oil pickup tube by the vacuum created by the oil pump. Once past the oil pump it is distributed throughout the engine to lubricate every moving part before returning to the crankcase.

Just like trying to get that last bit of soda out from the bottom of a glass with a straw, once the oil level drops below a certain level the oil pump cannot create enough vacuum to suck the rest of the oil up.

Basically your car is low on oil. The oil level is just barely higher than the oil pickup tube in the crankcase. When the car is in being driven in a straight line or is idling and stopped there is enough oil to still have circulation. Cornering forces are typically stronger than acceleration forces for non-competition driving so when you turn a corner the oil sloshes over to one side of the crankcase and for a brief moment the oil pickup tube has no oil to suck, causing the oil light to illuminate.

Every time the engine is starved for oil the loss of lubrication causes damage to the engine so this should be fixed as soon as you can.

With your engine off check the oil level on the dip-stick. Consult your owners manual for what viscosity oil you should add. Add that oil to the engine through the oil fill port on the top of the engine in 1/2 quart quantities until the level on the dipstick reads full.


Your Wrenchmeister
The Motachanic

Stumble It!

Building Credit To Buy A Car

Dear Miss Mota Mouth,

I would really like to buy a car now but I don’t have any credit yet even though I have a job. At least I don’t have bad credit but what should I do? My current car is a real clunker and I am 25 and want a nice car!
Whitney in Costa Mesa

Dear Whitney,

The first step is to really start shopping around banks, credit unions and even insurance companies like State Farm who will finance you. Get a good idea of what their rates would be with your credit currently undeveloped. Interest rates can legally be as high as 29.9% but you shouldn’t accept anything more than 10% or you will be a slave to the lender.

Consider keeping the clunker for a while and starting a program to improve your credit:
1. Take out a credit card or two that you pay off in FULL every month
2. Ask your parents to add you as a responsible party to a credit card of theirs (but do not use it yourself- just gain the credit history)
3. Make sure that you have no outstanding debts to any bills like utilities from past rentals, medical bills, etc and if you have those- pay them off and ask the collection agency to take them off your credit. (if they say they will then they have 5 business days to notify you that they have done so)
4. Don’t repeatedly pull your credit report because that will knock points off automatically.

After even 6 months you will start to gain a solid credit history that lenders will like.

Patience is indeed a virtue and jumping ahead will bite you where it hurts so take the correct steps to do this the right way.

Good luck!

M

Stumble It!