Estimate Car Repair Costs

Having an accident is probably the worst thing that could happen to you and it's something that could appear anytime. Even though you drive carefully below the speed limits or even when your car is stopped someone who is not paying attention slams into your car. Your car could also be damaged by natural disasters and you can't predict these things.

If you want to have less worries you could always choose a good auto insurance policy but usually insurance companies solve problems pretty slow, and you probably want your car fixed and running as fast as possible. But if you need a quick solution you have to know that car repairs can get expensive and you always have to search the best repairs for your money. You should always estimate car repair costs before choosing a company that would repair your car. There could appear several cost differences for repair prices in different areas of a country and you should always pick the best choice for you.

If you have a scratched hood, small engine problems, smashed bumper or slightly damaged side skirts, these are problems that could be repaired easily and pretty cheap. But you have to know that minor repairs are pretty inexpensive, but when it comes to severe car damage then you surely have to be really careful when you estimate your car repair costs. There are some companies that overcharge you for your car repair and you surely don't want that to happen.

A car repair estimate has six major headings: your information and your vehicle information, replacement parts needed for the repair, labor cost, miscellaneous charges, flat fees and a summary of charges. The labor cost is the number of hours spent to repair multiplied with the hourly charge of the car service. You should always check the car repair estimate to ensure that you won't be overcharged.

In the end, if you're careful when you're choosing a repair company, you could get your car back faster and you could always get a good repair price.

Troubleshooting Ignition Misfires

Diagnosing and correcting a misfire that develops on the track can be far more frustrating than trying to figure out why a car will not start. There are, however, some similarities between trying to determine the cause of a miss and why a car will not start.

Troubleshooting misfires can be nerve wracking. Is it really ignition related or is it a fuel problem causing the misfire?It may be caused by a mechanical problem within the engine or even a cooling system problem. Other than mentioning the need to check for a blown or leaking head gasket and a bad or low-pressure radiator cap, we will not dwell on the engine internals. However, cooling system problems are responsible for over 20 percent of "ignition problems."

Fuel system problems are more often than not attributed to ignition problems. Before delving too deeply into the ignition, rule out any basic fuel system maladies: A fuel pressure gauge will identify a weak fuel pump, clogged fuel filter, or collapsed fuel line. A warped carburetor base, worn throttle shaft, or other vacuum leaks will show up as a lean condition. A clogged main jet may pass a visual inspection if it is blocked by a piece of sand or clear plastic. If in doubt, use a piece of thin wire to make sure that the jet is not clogged. A blown power valve should be obvious from an overly rich exhaust.

In the early days of the automobile, good wire insulation was poor at best. Some early engines even used bare metal for spark plug "wire." In those early times, simplicity was the norm and wires were routed as neatly as railroad tracks. Today, wiring has become more complex. Insulation quality has improved many times over, allowing wires to be bundled and be more tightly routed. Unfortunately, high voltage and high impulse carrying wires are bundled with signal wires that carry pulses that are affected by high voltage much the same as a compact car is buffeted by a tractor-trailer on the highway. Critical signals are corrupted or lost. This can result in a misfire.

A short checklist will help in determining the source of the problem:

· Using solid-core spark plug wires, including the coil wire, can induce an unwanted signal into the ignition amplifier, causing the amplifier to trigger at the wrong time.

· Poor connections on either end of coil and / or spark plug wires may cause a misfire.

· Bad crimps or connectors not seating on the plug or in the coil can both cause problems.

· Sometimes, a little moisture inside the plug wire boot turns to steam and blows the wire off. A thin film of oil will reduce corona and will help the moisture to escape.

· Spark plug wires must be separated. If possible, do not run them parallel to each other.

· In rare instances, having the coil mounted too close to the amplifier can cause problems.

· Do not run the coil secondary wire through the firewall with the distributor leads or the alternator lead as this can cause erratic operation due to "noise bleed over."

· A weak ignition can cause a misfire, reduced power, or poor performance. This may be the result of a low battery or a malfunctioning alternator.

· Poor power connections, or wires and connectors that are too small can reduce ignition output.

· A master switch not rated for the application can restrict current flow enough to cause poor operation.

· Weak or damaged ignition components may work satisfactorily with a well-charged battery and cool conditions, but when the battery loses its surface charge or the box heats up, misfiring will occur. Low voltage and higher temperatures both require the ignition to work harder.

· Parts store switches might work well for a 10-amp blower or a 100-watt light but the ignition switch on current racecars may need less than 100 milliamps. This small amount of current may not burn through a thin film of moisture or across an oxidized set of contacts. Quality switches are a better and more reliable choice. A Mil-Spec number on a switch gives you, or the supplier, a reference where you can check and compare the qualities and capabilities of a given switch. Make sure that the switch you have chosen or are using will work well in your application. A $5 parts store switch may work most of the time, but do you use supermarket motor oil in your race engine?

Misfire or Stumble

A voltmeter in the dash of the car helps you or the driver diagnose a problem. It can alert the driver to a malfunction before it develops into a misfire. If the alternator quits, proper power management may allow you to finish the race with all electrical power coming from the battery. To accomplish this, all non-essential electrical consumption needs to be curtailed as soon as possible after the alternator quits. If the tach starts jumping, or the car starts missing, it probably too late to start a meaningful conservation of power. How the engine acts, combined with when and where on the track the engine skips, misses, or flattens out are all factors that may be used to diagnose problems.

Some factors to consider when determining the cause of a load or RPM induced misfire:

What is the battery voltage when the problem occurs? Twelve volts or less? Or between 13.5 to 14.5 volts? A12-v misfire normally indicates a lack of reserve power. To remedy this type of problem, you can reduce the spark plug gap, retard the timing, and install an alternator or 16-volt battery.

A misfire at 14.5-volt is a little bit more complex. Does the tach fluctuate or get erratic? Does the problem occur early in the race or practice, or is it always after the midpoint in the race?

Always have a box and coil known to be good, along with an emergency or test harness and a direct coil-to-distributor wire available. If, after changing these components, the problem does not go away, look for a bad ground or a battery problem. Which way do the plates in the battery face? They should be aligned from left to right to prevent shorting in the turns due to centrifugal force. Where on the track does the problem occur? Diving into a turn? Off the turn or midway down the straight?

If a problem develops over time (10 or more laps), replacing components may "fix" the problem until everything heats up or the battery loses its surface charge. Tachometer operation may indicate the source of an ignition problem. An erratic tachometer reading or a zero reading may indicate a loose connection or low battery voltage.

Auto Repair Manuals

If you are an amateur auto mechanic who loves to dig in the car engines until the wee hours while most people are under their blankets, entails the spirit of the "do-it-yourself" -doer and are not afraid to get grease on your hands or if you are in an emergency situation, a very handy resource is the availability of the right auto repair manuals.

There are two types of car repair manuals:

Online downloadable manualsPrinted manuals

Online Manuals

The best thing about online manuals are that whatever manual you'll need for whichever car brand, it is only a few mouse clicks away; you can load it down from the internet in no time.

If the time is a significant factor for you, for instance if you are in a situation that requiers repair information immeadeatlY and your knowledge about the specific problem is limited, the fastest and cheapest solution is to go online to find high quility vehicle repair manuals.

Some of these manuals include not only repair information, but also updated technical service information and some of them even include aproximate business hours. This is valuable info if you decide to take your car to a mechanic: You'll know in advance how much you could expect to pay for the repair. Most of these websites charge a minor fee for their service, but compared to what you'll get back, it is worth it.

Good vehichle repair manual sites also features updated diagnostic and maintenance information. Their manuals are Original Service Manuals Written by the manufacturers and contains the original workshop repair descriptions. Therefore many professional auto technicians are using quality downloadable manuals. .

Good manuals contain thousands of pages of diagrams and all the necessary detailed information for the specific vehicle and car part repair.

Printed manuals

I have chosen to make a breif review of three of the best printed motorcar fixing manuals available on the market today. If you chose these instead of the online alternative, expect some time for shipping and handling.

Bentley

the target is the experienced mechanic, and is considered by many experts as the hands-down best reference.

probably the most detailed car repair book available

Unfortunately, Bentley focuses on European models mostly, not US models.

Factory

The target for these service manuals are factory certified mechanics, and unfortunately not amateurs

may require access to special tools only available to authorized mechanics.

Chilton

Simple step-by-step procedures, easy-to-follow standard format
their targeted audience is the average, general backyard mechanic

focusing on maintenance and basic repairs

containing lots of sequential photographs and graphics to simplify maintenance and thus make the job easy and fun.

new cars are treated with thorough attention. Older cars however, get lumped together and the instructions for these are a little more generalized.

Free Online Auto Repair Manual

Getting free online auto repair manuals is going to help you save a lot of money. It is expensive enough to buy parts to fix your car. Your labor is worth something as well and it gets very expensive so getting free manuals can help you to lower your repair bill overall. Use the internet to help you get the one that fits your model car.

It is important that you decide what type of manual you are going to need. There are general maintenance manuals that can help you to do simple repair task such as changing the oil or other fluids in your car. If you are doing something more complicated such as changes an alternator then you will want a free manual that is specific for your car so that you know where the part located and how to remove it.

There are manuals that deal with segmented issues. For example if you are having a problem with your brakes then you can get help just in that area. Maybe you have a general exhaust issue and you can get a book that will tell you how to correct that problem as well. You can see that it is important to determine what issue you are having with your vehicle so that finding the right repair guide will be easy.

Remember that when you are in need to a auto repair manual you need to search online and find one for free. Fixing your car can be expensive so saving money any where you can is a good option for you. Use the internet to help you find one that fits your cars make and model. If you are in need of a general repair guide then you can search for that as well.

DIY Tune Up and Misfire Codes - Top 10 Misfire Causes

Tune ups are not required on today's vehicles nearly as often as they were in the past. Most vehicles today, no longer have distributors (with points) and carburetors. A tune up used to consist of much more than it does today, with technology and innovative design vehicles require much less attention from us when it comes to maintenance items affecting the engine's performance. The car's computer is running thousands of tests everyday to insure optimum performance. If the SES (Service Engine Soon) light comes on, the computer is telling you there's a problem. Today I cover what a tune up consists of and the most common causes of misfire codes being set or stored in your car's computer. Also, in this article read on to find out why my friend with an old Chrysler lean burn system used to carry a big stick! 

What a Tune Up Used to Be

In cars during the 60's and 70's a minor tune up consisted of replacing the spark plugs, distributor cap, rotor, points and condenser. The timing and dwell would also be set if needed. Back then a major tune up would also include spark plug wires and adjusting the carburetor. Computerized cars no longer need all of this attention! Electronic ignition and fuel injection in today's cars have almost completely banished the use of distributors. And practically the only place you'll find a carburetor is in a dinosaur or a hot rod. Today spark plugs typically last from 60 to 100,000 miles (sometimes less if there's a misfire). Computers control the mixture of fuel and air to the cylinders so efficiently that a car that floods today, is a rare one indeed. Don't get me wrong there were some growing pains in the 80's with carburetors that still needed adjustment and computer systems that never really allowed some cars to run very well from day one. I had a friend with a 1980 Chrysler equipped with a lean burn system that worked in conjunction with a feedback carburetor, it caused him many headaches. The lean burn computer was mounted on the air cleaner housing. He discovered that when the car wouldn't run, it only took a light tap on the computer to make it work again. Instead of switching back to a conventional carburetor or relocating the computer away from the heat of the engine like many people did back then; he found that carrying a stick in the car, would allow him to stand outside, reach the stick under the hood and tap the module while he turned the ignition switch to start the engine!

Cars Today

Misfire codes (including P0301, P0302, P0303, P0304, P0305, P0306, P0307 & P0308) indicate that there is a misfire in a cylinder, the last number indicates which cylinder has the problem. If something is causing a miss in random cylinders or is affecting all of them, a P0300 misfire code will be stored in the car's computer. It's always smart to begin with the basics. Also consider the mileage and service history when diagnosing a misfire. Higher mile vehicles are more inclined to have mechanical issues with the engines, like low compression from worn valves or rings etc. Any accompanying codes should also be considered in case they may be related. If the spark plugs are worn (excessive gap) or the car is past due for a tune up, it may be smart to go ahead and start with spark plugs and spark plug wires and go from there.

The most common misfire causes on the cars I've worked on have been:

Spark plugs
Spark plug wires
Ignition coil
Fuel injector
Wiring to fuel injector
Timing Belt
Vacuum leak or stuck open EGR
Contaminated fuel or bad fuel pump
Weak compression
Blown head gasket

Obviously there are many different types of cars, so a service manual for the specific one that you are working on may be required to help pinpoint the misfire you're looking for, but hopefully this will direct you to some of the most common causes of misfires in cars of today.

My Car Won't Start and Makes a Clicking Noise

Nothing is more aggravating than walking out to your car Monday morning and finding it won't start. Instead, all you hear is a click noise when turn the ignition key. What's the problem?

If you are unfamiliar with how a car works, you might immediately assume the clicking noise means the engine is dead. It is obvious that power is being turned on, so the lack of even a vibration or jerk would indicate the engine is frozen up, right? Fortunately, the answer is no. Instead, you have an equally aggravating problem somewhere in your starter assembly, but the good news is it will cost a lot less to fix.

There could be a myriad of problems when you hear a clicking noise when starting a car. The first step is to start with the easy things. Check to see if your battery has a charge. Next, check the battery cables to make sure the hookups are not corroded. Corrosion can put a damper of the flow of electrical current and can be the entire problem.

If everything looks okay, the problem may be the solenoid. The what?! The solenoid is essentially a switch that turns the starter on and off. When your car is just sitting off in the driveway, the solenoid is receiving a current from the battery, but it does not pass it on to the starter. When you flip the ignition, a small current signals the solenoid to let the current through to the starter. The starter then turns over. When you have a solenoid that is going bad, the switch can get tweaked and not let the current through correctly. Since the electrical current isn't enough to fire up the starter, the engine doesn't fire. In some cars, it just makes a clicking noise.

Assuming your solenoid is okay, the problem is most likely going to be your starter. The starter takes a lot of strain when it turns over the car. Sooner or later, it is going to have problems. The starter is usually very sensitive to human emotions. If it senses you need to get somewhere in a hurry, it will usually choose that moment to go bad!

Is there some easy way to tell what the problem is? Well, easy is a relative term, but you can do a bypass test. The idea is to bypass the solenoid with the electrical current from the battery. If the starter terms normally, the solenoid is the problem. If it doesn't, the starter is the problem.

You'll notice I didn't mention anything about testing the ignition switch. It is very rare for them to go bad. If you hear clicking when you turn the ignition on, the problem is not the ignition for the very reason that you are hearing something!

A car that won't start is a pain in the derriere. That being said, fixing it is usually not expensive, so things could definitely be worse. 

How to Know When to Replace Or Repair Your Auto Upholstery

When a person drives a car, there is a direct experience with the cabin. The driver doesn't really have contact with the car's engine or even with the car's fuel tank. But a driver sits in the seat of a car for hours each day.

That's why it's a good idea to keep your auto upholstery maintained. And it's not always enough for you alone to keep your auto upholstery in good shape. Sometimes you need to bring in some auto upholstery professionals to do some replacing or repairing.

How do you know when to replace or repair your auto upholstery? Here's how.

Your car is more than 10 years old.

If your car is more than ten years old, it's a pretty good idea to do a spot check of your auto upholstery. Look closely for tears, rips and stains. Check under the floor mats and in between the seats. If you have a convertible, carefully inspect the car's top. Auto upholstery repair shops specialize in making the cabin of your car look great, so don't be shy about finding every little thing that needs to be fixed.

You have kids or pets

Kids or pets can do a little bit of their own "work" on your auto upholstery, and you may not even realize anything is happening. Carefully inspect leather seats for small punctures. And look at cloth tops for little rips. And always look for stains.

You've recently been in an accident.

Car accidents can wreak havoc on both the inside and outside of your car. The first thing you may notice is any damage that's been done to the windshield. And that's fine because many auto upholstery shops fix windshields. You may then notice any damage from debris that made contact with the seats or floors.

You sleep or take naps in your car.

Find yourself lounging back in your convertible or hard topped car often? Your auto upholstery may be due for some repair. Often the weight of our bodies can begin to wear car seats down, and make them look older and worn. If you toss and turn while napping in your car, oils or moisturizers from your hair can quickly transfer onto your car's seats and cause stains that are very difficult to remove. So if you sleep in your car sometimes, occasionally inspect your upholstery. You may find that your tossing and turning has begun to do a number on your car.

Auto upholstery repair doesn't have to cost an arm a leg, so don't avoid going to the shop every once and a while. There's just nothing like the smell of new leather seats or the look of a nice clean convertible top. The interior of your car can be a wonderful part of you daily commute. So take the time to maintain your upholstery.