Category Archives: Auto Mechanic Information Articles

Read auto repair help articles from of a real dealership mechanic. Car questions and answers, free repair information, pictures, videos and live chat.


Mechanics Do Car Repair Side Jobs For Extra Money

Every single mechanic out there does side work. Whether it be just for family or friends, or a whole list of clients, anyone who wrenches for a living will work on cars on the side. I do this on occasion too, for a select group of close friends and family. This past spring, I had started doing a few more jobs for some neighbors and…

Continue reading


How To Make Money On Car Repair

So you want to become an auto mechanic, huh? You want to make good money doing you what you like to do? If you love working on your car or your friends cars, you may think this would be a perfect career choice for you. You think you can make a good living in the auto repair industry. Well, in this article I will give…

Continue reading


Car Problems With GM Auto Parts And Employees

This is going to basically be another rants and raves article, but this time it is going to be about our parts department at the dealership. Normally, everything runs smoothly. We have a great parts manager and most of the counter guys are fun to be around and are knowledgeable. We do have one guy, though, who fails to fit the bill. Lucky me, I…

Continue reading


Should I Use Factory Repacement Parts in my Car?

A lot of people are under the assumption that parts are parts, and getting the lowest price on a certain part for your vehicle is key in deciding what or where to buy. This is about as far from the truth as possible. As a rule of thumb, and as many cases in life agree, you get what you pay for. This stands true for…

Continue reading


Ford Air Conditioning Problems As Temperature Gets Warmer

With the warmer temperatures coming a little bit early this year, we have seen quite a few cars coming in the shop with air conditioning problems. Once people start using their air conditioning, they make a bee line to the shop if it is not cooling properly. Usually we can hook up our A/C machine to a vehicle and tell right away what the problem…

Continue reading


Chevy Impala Engine Overheating- Common Causes And Repair

I had this job about a week ago and thought it would make a good article. I’ve done many head gaskets over the years, and it becomes kind of a no brainer for me, but this is a common problem on the V6 engines so it deserves some recognition. The main problem on these engines when they do have a head gasket leak, is that…

Continue reading


Check Engine Light Code P0300 On GM 2.2L and 2.4L

We have been seeing quite a few problems with the GM 2.2L and 2.4L engines. Mostly on model years 2005 through 2009. This engine is very common in the Chevrolet Malibu, Cobalt and HHR. As well as the Pontiac G5 and G6. This is the 4 cylinder.  The problem I am going to talk about today is a check engine light and misfire codes. Car…

Continue reading


Maintenance Schedules For Car And Trucks

One thing quite a few people are confused about is regular maintenance intervals for their vehicle. Thing like oil changes, tire rotations, other fluid flushes, air filters, fuel filters, spark plugs, and many more. Just about everything that makes your car or truck run is in need of, and has, a regular schedule for maintenance. The absolute best place to find this information is in…

Continue reading


Common Cause For Chevrolet Equinox ABS Light

Here’s something we as technicians see a whole bunch of….bad hub bearings. Whether they are causing the Antilock Brake (ABS) light to come on, or are just making a terrible grinding or growling noise as you drive, these are replaced almost daily at our shop on just about every model of vehicle. Today I had a regularly seen vehicle in the shop, a Chevrolet Equinox.…

Continue reading


Chevy Trailblazer Heat Core Replacement Procedure Pictures

This week I had the pleasure, or should I say displeasure of replacing the heater core on a Chevrolet Trailblazer. This is not the older body style Chevy S-10 Blazer, but the newer body Trailblazer. The customer’s complaint was the usual of the windshield and side windows get fogged up when the heater or the defroster is on, and the sweet smell of antifreeze through…

Continue reading


2003 GMC Yukon Dash Gauges Not Working- Recall

My 2003 Yukon XL (Suburban) with 5.3 motor and 70k miles has no power to any of dash gauges. The truck runs and operates fine, but the radio, heater controls and dash lights work fine. No gauge activity at all. All gauges are at the zero mark. I believe I have checked all fuses at left hand corner of dash, under dash and the under hood…

Continue reading


Some Blower Motor Fan Speeds Not Working

This one has been a big issue over the years. Many, many times a car or truck will come into the shop with the customer complaining that their blower motor doesn’t work, or only works on high speed, etc. This is usually the case after a blower resistor failure on one or more speed settings. What is happening to them you ask? Well, the resistor…

Continue reading


Bad Fuel Pumps Cause Vehicle To Not Start

Lately, we’ve have quite a few vehicles come through the shop with fuel pumps that have failed. This seems to go in cycles, where we see a lot of one particular thing coming in all the time and this time of year seems to be fuel pump problems. The colder weather can have a lot to do with these failing, but other than that, it’s…

Continue reading


Tire Pressure Light Description and Operation

Tire Pressure Monitor System Description The tire pressure monitor system was developed many years ago to alert the driver to a tire that is loosing air. As one or more tires lose air because of a leak as compared to the other tires, a warning light or message will come on the dash. A module or computer is used to monitor the system and has…

Continue reading