Monday 24 October 2011
I’m a huge proponent of buying used cars over buying new, and especially over leasing (unless you have a business and can write it off), so here are some not-so-obvious tips from my personal arsenal that I want to share to help you find that beautiful previously-enjoyed vehicle:
- Internet Check
If you are shopping for a vehicle of interest or want to go to a particular dealer for service, many dealers nowadays have profiles of their sales and service staff. Go to the dealer websites and browse the faces and names if the websites have links to staff profiles. It’s not always a sure bet when you’re judging appearances obviously (take a look at your Facebook photos!), but if you feel more comfortable speaking to say a female sales rep or service advisor, someone who’s the same race/nationality as you are, someone who can speak the same language you speak, someone who’s similar in age, or maybe you prefer a more docile-looking, baby-face salesman vs. a grizzled or greasy looking creeper, you can go into the dealer knowing who you may see and perhaps being familiar with some faces to start. Some people do judge books by their covers, and sometimes, they are right.
- Sunday Sleuthing
If you want to take your time browsing cars at a large dealer without being approached by a high-pressure salesperson, go browse on a Sunday. Most large dealers will be closed on Sundays, and as long as you behave and don’t touch the cars, visually checking out their condition up-close, peeking inside through the windows, and writing down the VIN to do some pre-emptive investigative work will put you in a better, more prepared position in case you want to return and test drive it.
- Be a Glove Box Fox
If you see a used car that was off-lease or a trade-in, look in the glove box and dig out the owner’s manual portfolio. In the portfolio, it may contain a business card of the original dealership and salesperson from where and whom the car was purchased from, as well as documentation such as the name of the previous owner, his/her address, age, and maybe even stamped service records in their maintenance guide if there is one, or printed service records. Looking into this portfolio could also give you a clue as to what region the car was owned and operated in (i.e. Southern Ontario or Northern Ontario, the latter of which is harsher on cars? Or owned by someone living in an upscale neighbourhood vs. a ghetto?) in order to help you evaluate if its had a previously good life or not.
By finding out which dealer the car was originally purchased from, you could write down the VIN of the car, pay that dealer a visit in person or call, be really nice to the service advisor, and ask him/her if he/she could run a scan on the VIN to see if it’s been serviced there regularly or not. They may not be allowed to give you printouts due to confidentiality rules, but they will be able to verbally tell you whether there are service records or not, and whether they were done within the manufacturer’s recommended intervals or not.
- Mind the Plates
Be aware of newly-issued license plates on a used car you are buying privately inOntario
Hope these help! Drive on.....
Wednesday 19 October 2011
For most people, going to the dealership for service is about as pleasant as passing a kidney stone, so here are my top 10 pointers to help make your next service visit more pleasant:
- Be Detailed
If there are any issues with your car like strange sounds or vibrations, be as detailed as possible when describing the symptoms. The more info, the better, as the mechanic can better figure out how to diagnose and what to check.
- You Can Say No
When going in for an oil change, be prepared to be up-sold, unless it’s your brand-new car’s first service visit. When pitched, the key is to not feel pressured whatsoever. You can say no to all recommended services, and ask as many questions as you want/need to. If you are a new customer, it would help to bring old receipts of past work done so you could make a decision, and to also gauge whether the shop is being honest.
- Beware of "Free"
When a dealer offers free services like a multi-point inspection or a brake inspection, it’s a strategy to get you in the door so they will pick your car apart and find what repairs and maintenance are recommended to up-sell you. If you don’t really need a brake inspection, don’t bother going and don't let the word "free" cloud your judgement.
- Get Inside Help
If you have a problem with your new vehicle that needs attention, leverage your salesperson who you purchased the car from to bring you to the service department. Someone who is close with a dealer colleague most times will get squeezed in for an appointment sooner, or have a minor problem get checked out without having to pay, but just don’t ask for the world, i.e. if something is going to take a while, just make an appointment, or be patient if you just need nitrogen put in your tires. - Build a Relationship
If you find a good service advisor, maintain a relationship so you could build a more personal rapport. With a personal rapport, he/she will be more honest with you, lobby for you with some repairs or warranty work, and maybe even hook you up with a discount on a huge bill or a major service.
- Don't Settle
Do not tolerate poor service. If the dealer closest to home is convenient but their service stinks, go to another dealer that may be farther, but provides better service. Don’t reward bad service or shops who always try to up-sell you mercilessly. Asking for referrals from friends, colleagues, neighbours, relatives and internet car forums can help too.
- Ask to See
If a dealer is recommending additional services, ask to be chaperoned into the shop so they will show you the worn or loose parts. Even if you know nothing about cars, pretend you do. By asking questions and asking to see things, you will force them to be honest and back up their recommendations. Don’t buy any BS about the shop not allowing customers into the service area. If they say that to you, don’t go to them again.
If you can, I recommend you wait at the dealer while the car is being serviced. Most have wireless internet, so you might be able to bring your work there and have a free coffee. By being there, if they try to up-sell you, you can ask to see the worn parts before making a decision or getting a second opinion. If you leave the car with them, some dishonest shops may try to up-sell services knowing you’re not around to see, and hoping you’ll give them the go-ahead. - Recommended Up-Sells
Preventive maintenance-based up-sells I encourage you to go ahead with if recommended and at the proper intervals are tire rotations, alignments with new tires, engine air filters, cabin filters, fuel filters, fan belts, wiper blades, transmission fluid changes, coolant flushes, differential fluid changes, spark plugs and a brake service. All of the mentioned should be paid attention to at least once a year, with brake services recommended once a year. Most shops do not charge labour to install wiper blades. Services that are less important if the car is otherwise running fine are battery services (most batteries today are maintenance-free), fuel injector services (generally not needed as long as you don’t always drive with an near-empty fuel tank) and brake fluid flushes on 2-3 year old cars. Brake fluid flushes are only recommended if there is 2% water in the brake fluid or if the manufacturer recommends it at a specific interval and mileage. - Ask for Pictures
If you must be at work while the car is in for major service, don’t be afraid to ask the service advisor to snap and upload pictures of your car’s worn tires, brake or under-body parts before giving them the go-ahead to replace, or ask for measurements of the brake pads in millimetres if they are recommending new brakes that are going to cost a fortune. Only ask for pictures if the potential repairs are expensive. Trust them on the filters if they recommend them as they are relatively cheap but important. If they say no, then you say no to giving them business. At least one person in the dealer has a SmartPhone or a cell-phone with a camera that they can upload to their computers to e-mail you.
- Ask About Extended Warranty Privileges
If you purchased an extended warranty, the package may include several free oil changes. If you don’t recall whether the extended warranty package you bought includes them or not, ask the service advisor to check for you – they have access to that info. It may turn out that you do, and if say you had 4 oil changes as part of the package, you save about $200 in maintenance.
Hope these help. Now Drive on....
Monday 17 October 2011
Reduce Gas Pain and Wallet Drain
Here are some basic fuel-saving tips published by Consumer Reports: http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2011/03/10-tips-to-improve-fuel-economy-and-save-money-on-gas.html
On top of the recommendations by Consumer Reports, here are my 5 extra, not-so-obvious tips to help you maximize your fuel savings:
- Make Use of Your Retained Power
Most newer cars today have a retained power feature which gives you up to a minute to close your windows and your sunroof if you turn off your engine but keep the keys in the ignition. Using the retained power instead of keeping the engine idling while you’re waiting for the windows and sunroof to close can lead to small but significant fuel savings over a long period of time.
- Get Everything Ready First!
Most people idle their cars as they are buckling up their children, loading cargo, plugging in their phone to the charger, checking e-mail on their SmartPhone, chatting with a neighbour while the engine is running, shovelling snow, and/or tuning the radio and adjusting their music lists before driving off. What would help save gas is to turn off the engine while loading, and have all your music and items to be charged plugged in or set up in your ignition’s Accessory setting before starting up and driving off. Heck, forget about the drive-thru. Go inside Starbucks or Tim Hortons.
I really want to emphasize that needless idling is a huge drain on fuel economy. According to Natural Resources Canada, idling longer than 10 seconds uses more fuel and produces more carbon dioxide compared to restarting the engine. They recommend that if you are going to be stopped for more than a minute, turn off the engine (unless you’re in traffic).
- Have Your Brakes Inspected or Serviced at Least Once a Year
Some people may have sticking brakes, especially in the rear, or a parking brake that doesn’t disengage all the way, both of which could cause dragging of one or more wheels, forcing the engine to work harder, and thus consuming more fuel in the process to get you up to speed. As you can imagine, this forces the engine to have to work harder, and in the process, consumes more gas and worse yet, wear out your brake parts.
Have your brakes serviced and inspected at least once a year if not twice to make sure everything is moving and well-lubricated. This is one up-sell at service shops and dealers I recommend you take them up on. The perfect time to inspect and service your brakes would be when you are changing from winter to summer wheels, and vice versa.
- Reset Your Trip Meter & Fuel Economy Calculator after Every Fill-up
Many newer cars have a digital fuel economy calculator (in L/100km), and all cars have a trip meter, both of which should be reset whenever you fill up. Seeing how many L/100km you are consuming as well as how many total kilometres you are getting out of a tank could serve as a guide for you to adjust your driving to save gas.
Furthermore, by resetting every time you fill up and being vigilant on the calculations, any unusual increases in fuel consumption could help you monitor the state of your engine’s health, or tip you off to check your tire pressure, inspect your air filter or have the brakes checked.
- Opt for the Smaller Tire &Wheel Package When Buying or Leasing a New Car
When purchasing or leasing a new vehicle, there may be a few wheel and tire choices in terms of style and sizes. Unless a bigger wheel package is forged and made of lightweight metals (mostly available on performance cars), opt for smaller wheels (i.e. the standard 18” wheels vs. the 20” chrome wheels). Heavy wheels like chrome wheels increase fuel consumption because they are not only bigger and often wider, but they act as extra un-sprung weight on the car. By having smaller, lighter wheels, this can support fuel economy over the long term, as well as reduce costs when it comes to purchasing replacement tires.
Keep these extra tips in mind, and feel free to leave a comment below to let me know if they’ve helped or not.
Drive on….
The recent BlackBerry network failure was quite interesting. Logging on to Facebook and seeing BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) updates from friends when the program was temporarily working, all I saw were messages about how not having BBM was ruining their day, that people were going to switch to the iPhone and boycott RIM, or that they were forced to have to look people in the eye at work at the cafeteria line-up or walking around in their building – seriously.
Pretty traumatic, life-threatening stuff....
Turning our attention to our cars, I would be willing to bet my money that if your vehicle(s) were to be stolen from you tomorrow or won’t start while you were running late for work, that these calamaties would surely inconvenience and upset you more than not having BBM and e-mail.
Or, if you were on a road trip and your car died on you in the middle of nowhere on a cold night stranding you, it would likely make you think twice about preparing better in the future and knowing what resources are at your disposal. Just imagine for a few seconds if any one of these scenarios took place (I hope not, but they can happen).
Here’s my point: Having a car is so important to us, and woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. Wouldn’t you agree? We need our car to take us to work each day so we can make a living. We need it to do errands, drop the kids off to school, go to the gym, haul stuff, or use it for weekend getaways. Driving and car ownership are also very personal to each of us. For instance, a vehicle can be a huge part of our identity and how we express ourselves in terms of tastes, frugality, our personal beliefs (i.e. an environmentalist may favour a Hybrid vehicle), an image we want to project, lifestyle needs and for some people, keeping up with the Joneses. We may have even had magical or memorable moments in our cars.
Here’s my point: Having a car is so important to us, and woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. Wouldn’t you agree? We need our car to take us to work each day so we can make a living. We need it to do errands, drop the kids off to school, go to the gym, haul stuff, or use it for weekend getaways. Driving and car ownership are also very personal to each of us. For instance, a vehicle can be a huge part of our identity and how we express ourselves in terms of tastes, frugality, our personal beliefs (i.e. an environmentalist may favour a Hybrid vehicle), an image we want to project, lifestyle needs and for some people, keeping up with the Joneses. We may have even had magical or memorable moments in our cars.
Ironically, many people care more for the health of their pets than they do their own health and that of their vehicles. Some people, my friends included, are very indifferent about their cars because they have no interest in learning, and think that having CAA, a cell phone, a mechanic, dad/brothers, and roadside assistance are good enough. That’s fine, but I would bet that these same folks would also agree that their car cost them quite a bit. If this is the case, doesn’t it make sense take better care of it, know more about it, be prepared for emergencies, drive safer and maintain this investment as you would your house or condo?
Because cars and driving are so woven into the fabric of our everyday lives, I feel that every motorist out there needs to at least know the basics of ownership and how to save money, find excellent services, maintain a car, deal with a flat tire, and how to be prepared for emergencies, even if you don’t plan to ever touch a wrench and change your own oil. When I was a service advisor at a dealership, I saw a lot of owner apathy running the gamut from those approving horrendously expensive repairs without shopping around nor asking questions (maybe they have too much money), and some with worn ball joints where one of their front wheels can collapse if they hit a hard enough bump, but they don’t care and won’t repair it.
As they say, knowledge truly is power, and I think if people knew more about their cars and could hold their own at a service desk or dealership, the efforts would collectively force the automotive industry to be even more honest, service-oriented and cost-competitive.
To conclude, I wholeheartedly encourage you to love your vehicle and learn more about it so you will save money, maintain resale value, ensure maximum reliability to eliminate headaches, drive safer and be prepared for emergencies so you can make it home every night to your family and enjoy more of life’s moments.
Drive On….
This is my very first blog entry, and I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself and set the tone for future blog posts. I’ll try to be succinct below.
ü I am a car enthusiast, and started detailing the family car when I was 9 years old. I am not an expert or authority in any particular area pertaining to vehicles, but through professional automotive industry experience, personal experience, connecting daily with car enthusiasts on the internet, and tons of self-directed learning, I know a lot about cars.
ü I am most well-versed in the areas of automotive parts, maintenance, cleaning, detailing, mechanical repairs, ownership, buying vehicles, saving money, being defensive as a paying consumer, and keeping up to date on all models by all makes past and present and their reliability history.
ü I love writing and disseminating information in interesting and easy-to-follow ways, as well as to help and serve people from my heart. I wrote for my University newspaper, and have been published in a few internationally-distributed health and fitness magazines.
ü Cars excite me and are a huge passion of mine. I am continuously learning every week on industry trends, new models, reliability history of aging models, sales performance of various makes, and technology. I plan to share my opinions here on various automotive issues in the news.
ü I have previously served as an automotive parts consultant at the retail level, as well as a Service Advisor at the dealership level. I have seen all kinds of customers and car owners, good and not so good.
ü By nature, I am resourceful, a strong multi-dimensional thinker, extremely detail-oriented, observant and have ultra-sensitive senses. Thus, when it comes to cars, I am well-suited to performing excellent work, diagnosing car issues, figuring out ways to get answers, and finding ways to save money.
ü I am a stickler for proper vehicle maintenance, using quality parts and lubricants. I am not a licensed mechanic, but am fully capable of repairing and maintaining vehicles, and confidently know my stuff. I insist on doing all maintenance and repairs myself if possible, and doing things my way unless a job is too messy to do without a hoist, or beyond my capabilities. I choose my mechanics and network of automotive contacts very carefully, and take good care of all of them.
ü I am literally and figuratively a Car Buff. I love talking about them, driving them, and in the summer months, I keep my car impeccably clean and yes, buffed by dusting and wiping her down at least once everyday with automotive detailer and a microfiber cloth (until it rains, then I wait for when I can wash her again).
ü Luxury cars are my favourite vehicle segment. I love fine cars, but also like to be frugal because I believe in saving money, never overspending and owning a car within one’s financial means. I plan to share info on how to meet these goals, because when it comes to buying cars, one of my Canadian automotive writing idols Phil Edmonston aptly summed it up best: “Symbol doesn’t always equal substance. Just ask any disgruntled Jaguar owner.”
ü Lexus is my personal favourite make, and Infiniti is a very close second based on their value. To me, Lexus vehicles are beautiful, finely built vehicles that stand the test of time both mechanically and stylistically, and my favourite model is their flagship LS. In case a Lexus executive is reading this, I would love for you to provide me with a new or used model, black on black, with the long wheelbase and Executive Package! In defence of Toyota and Lexus, both NASA and the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) concluded in February 2011 that there were no electronic causes for the unintended acceleration debacle, though Toyota
I plan to use this blog as a medium to share my $0.02 on all issues related to cars and the industry. I also hope to connect with the internet community and deliver insightful views, information and lots of personal tips through two decades of experience that will help people.
Ladies and gentlemen, this PDI passes with flying colours and is ready to go.
Drive On….
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