The Cheapest Mechanic Anywhere-I Beat Any Prices in Winston-Salem, North Carolina For Sale

Make every driving dollar count with these safety and saving suggestions:
(1) Work the Web or become more Web-savvy. A wealth of research about vehicle ownership and enjoyment can be found online.
(2) Preventive car care can help protect both your safety and the investment made in your vehicle.
(3) Develop a relationship with your automotive technician. This is extremely important.
(4) Locate the recommended tire pressures either in your owner's manual.
(5) Use a tire pressure gauge at least once a month to check pressure when your tires are cool.
(6) Make sure your tires have adequate tread depth; it's critical for optimal traction and maneuverability.
(7) When replacing tires, it's best to replace all four at once. If you only replace two at a time, make sure to put the new tires on the rear of the vehicle.
(8) Find and use the correct maintenance schedule for your vehicle. This can be found in the owners manual or, now, most electronic management systems at your local repair facility can provide this information for you.
(9) Monitor and change your engine's oil and oil filter at the manufacturer's specified intervals, and be sure to follow the more frequent "severe service" recommendations if your driving habits meet any of the conditions described in the owner?s manual.
(10) Always use motor oils that meet the service classification and viscosity grade requirements established by your vehicle?s manufacturer.
Avoid Auto Breakdowns
Your car probably receives less attention than it should. Regular maintenance checks and simple service can greatly reduce the cost of car ownership and help avoid breakdowns.
Most of the car maintenance tips, checks and services described here can be done at little or no cost. Best of all, they are quick and easy to do and they can save time, money and inconvenience down the road. Always refer to your owner's manual when performing any maintenance task on your vehicle.
Check the antifreeze/coolant level weekly. Some cars have transparent reservoirs with level markings. Fill to level marking with 50/50 solution of antifreeze and water. Caution: Do not remove the pressure cap when engine is hot. Inspect belts and hoses monthly. Replace worn, glazed or frayed belts. Tighten them when more than 1/2" of slack can be depressed between the pulleys. Vehicles with spring loaded belt tensioners require no adjustment. Replace bulging, rotten, or brittle hoses and tighten clamps. If a hose looks bad, or feels too soft or too hard, it should be replaced. Check transmission fluid monthly with engine warm and running, and parking brake on. Shift to drive, then to park. Remove dipstick, wipe dry, insert it and remove it again. Add the approved type fluid, if needed. Do not overfill! Check oil every other fill up. Remove the dipstick, wipe it clean. Insert it fully and remove it again. If it is low, add oil. To maintain peak performance, change oil every 3,000 miles or 3 months, whichever comes first. Replace oil filter with every oil change. Check the air filter every other month. Replace it when it's dirty or as part of a tune-up. It is easy to reach, right under the big metal "lid" in a carbureted engine; or in a rectangular box at the forward end of the air duct hose assembly. Check brake fluid monthly. First, wipe dirt from the brake master cylinder reservoir lid. Pry off the retainer clip and remove the lid or unscrew plastic lid, depending on which type your vehicle has. If you need fluid, add the approved type and check for possible leaks throughout the system. Fill to mark on reservoir. Caution: Do not overfill. Keep windshield washer fluid reservoir full. When topping off, use some windshield washer fluid on a rag to clean off the wiper blades. In winter months, pay attention to the freezing point of the washer fluid. Use extreme caution when handling a battery since it can produce explosive gases. Do not smoke, create a spark or light a match near a battery and always wear protective glasses and gloves. Have it checked with every oil change. Cables should be attached securely and be free of corrosion. If battery has filler holes, add only clear, odorless drinking water. Check power steering fluid level once per month. Simply remove the reservoir dipstick. If the level is down, add fluid and inspect the pump and hoses for leaks.
How do I know if my catalytic converter has failed?
To understand why a catalytic converter fails, you need to know how it works. The catalytic converter is part of the automobile exhaust system. It converts harmful compounds in exhaust into harmless compounds. In a typical passenger car, the catalytic converter, which resembles a muffler in shape, is between the engine and the muffler. It's on the underside of the car, usually underneath the passenger seat. Maybe you have felt its warmth through the floor on a long trip. Catalytic converters have been standard on U.S. automobiles since the mid-xxxxs. The catalytic converter helped drive the push toward unleaded gasoline as well. Leaded gasoline contaminates the catalyst used inside a catalytic converter, destroying its usefulness and leading to a clogged converter.
Inside a Catalytic Converter
After the engine exhaust gases pass through the catalytic converter, the gases go through the muffler or mufflers, depending on the make of the automobile. Some vehicles use a pre-converter as well, to perform a similar function. The catalytic converter generally lasts the life of the automobile and rarely has a problem with being clogged or plugged during its lifetime.
The inside of the catalytic converter is a honeycomb set of passageways or small ceramic beads coated with catalysts. A chemical reaction takes place to make the pollutants less harmful. There are many passages for the exhaust gases to flow, to allow for the maximum amount of surface area for the hot gases to pass.
The catalysts include:
Oxidation catalysts: Palladium (Pd) and platinum (Pt) metals in very small amounts (to keep the catalytic converter price down) convert the hydrocarbons of unburned gasoline and carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and water.
Reduction catalysts:
Palladium and rhodium (Rh) metals also in very small amounts convert the nitrogen oxide to nitrogen and oxygen. Nitrogen oxide is a big contributor to smog. Many states and localities have legislated annual automobile emissions testing that checks the actual emissions content. The exhaust emissions test checks for the absence of a converter or a malfunctioning one during an inspection. It's illegal in some states and localities to remove a factory-installed catalytic converter. A mechanic can sometimes temporarily remove it and replace the catalytic converter with a test pipe, but the rules on this can vary from place to place.
A catalytic converter relies on receiving the proper mixture of exhaust gases at the proper temperature. Any additives or malfunctions that cause the mixture or the temperature of the exhaust gases to change reduce the effectiveness and life of the catalytic converter. Leaded gasoline and the over-use of certain fuel additives can shorten the life of a catalytic converter.
A catalytic converter can also fail because of:
Bad exhaust valves on the engine.
Fouled plugs causing unburned fuel to overheat the converter. Sometimes you can tell that a converter is clogged because you don't go any faster when you push the gas pedal. Also, there usually is a noticeable drop in gas mileage associated with a clogged catalytic converter. A partially clogged converter often acts like an engine governor, limiting the actual RPMs to a fast idle. A totally clogged converter causes the engine to quit after a few minutes because of all the increased exhaust back pressure.
Performance Exhaust Systems:
Headers are one of the easiest bolt-on accessories you can use to improve the engine's performance. The goal of headers is to make it easier for the engine to push exhaust gases out of the cylinders.
When you look at the four-stroke cycle in How Car Engines Work, you can see that the engine produces all of its power during the power stroke. The gasoline in the cylinder burns and expands during this stroke generating power. The other three strokes are necessary evils required to make the power stroke possible. If these three strokes consume power, they are a drain on the engine.
During the exhaust stroke, a good way for an engine to lose power is through back pressure. The exhaust valve opens at the beginning of the exhaust stroke, and then the piston pushes the exhaust gases out of the cylinder. If there is any amount of resistance that the piston has to push against to force the exhaust gases out, power is wasted. Using two exhaust valves rather than one improves the flow by making the hole that the exhaust gases travel through larger.
In a normal engine, once the exhaust gases exit the cylinder they end up in the exhaust manifold. In a four-cylinder or eight-cylinder engine, there are four cylinders using the same manifold. From the manifold, the exhaust gases flow into one pipe toward the catalytic converter and the muffler. It turns out that the manifold can be an important source of back pressure because exhaust gases from one cylinder build up pressure in the manifold that affects the next cylinder that uses the manifold.
The idea behind an exhaust header is to eliminate the manifold's back pressure. Instead of a common manifold that all of the cylinders share, each cylinder gets its own exhaust pipe. These pipes come together in a larger pipe called the collector. The individual pipes are cut and bent so that each one is the same length as the others. By making them the same length, it guarantees that each cylinder's exhaust gases arrive in the collector spaced out equally so there is no back pressure guaranteed by the cylinders sharing the collector.
We specialize in brake repair in Charlotte, NC. Also we perform the following:
Under the Hood
Air Conditioning Systems
Alternators & Starters
Belts & Hoses
Car Batteries
Complete Engine Repair
Computerized Engine Diagnostics
Cooling System Repair & Service
Electrical Systems
Emission Repair
Maintenance
Fuel Pumps & Lines
Fuel System Injector Cleaning
Oil Change, Filters & Lube
Radiator Repair & Service
Serpentine Belt
Tune Ups
Under The Hood
Under the Car
ABS Repair
Axle Repair
Brake Repair & Service
Catalytic Converters
CV Shafts & Joints
Driveline Repair
Exhaust & Muffler Repair
Four-Wheel Drive Repair
Shock Absorbers & Struts
Springs & Suspension
Steering & Chassis
Car Tire Repair
Universal Joint
Exterior & Accessories
JJ 336-409-xxxx