#mycardoc

Dear My Car Doc,

My dealership strongly advises me against taking my car somewhere else, even threatening to void my warranty. Those dealership prices kill my budget but I can't afford to lose my warranty! What do I do?

--Busted car, busted warranty

Dear Busted, 

I get asked this quite often. The quick and short answer is NO, the dealership CANNOT require you to return your car there for repairs to honor your warranty. Now, they will imply you need to take it there exclusively and I've even heard of dealerships out and out lying to customers telling them to return or it would void the car's warranty. 

If this is wrong, why do dealerships do this? One reason: MONEY. If you come back over and over again even for warranty repairs, it will do three things: 

Gets you in the habit of always going to that dealership for repairs,

Lets the dealership earn money on repairs that are not covered by warranty,

Gets you very comfortable spending money with the dealership so that when it's time for a major repair or a new vehicle, you're accustomed to writing checks to that dealership already. 

See? It's a behavioral training technique. They're training you like you've trained your dog.  

Here is the link to the FTC Consumer Alert post online about this very same issue: Click here to see what the FTC says about your dealership warranty.

For more tips and help with your four wheeled friends, follow My Car Doc on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr! 

mycardoc replied to your post: adieuamore replied to your post: adieuamore...

it’s so great to see how happy you are. :)

Aaw thank you, John! :)

As fall comes, temps drop. Tire PSI drops 1 lb. per month AND 1 lb. per 10° drop in temp. 95° June to 35° December = -12 PSI

Not that we have to worry about that for a couple more weeks.....lol

Beware the cracked belts of November! They become the broken belts of December! 

Seriously though, I always recommend replacing a cracked belt before the harsh temperatures of winter hit. Think about it like this: your serpentine belt is like a big ol' rubber band with nylon threads sewn into it. So when it gets cold, rubber gets a bit more stiff and brittle. A belt that is cracked is more likely to snap in subfreezing temperatures. 

But John, what happens if my belt snaps? Good question, I'm glad you asked! Your car DIES! The first thing you'll notice is that your car will be difficult to steer. This is because the power steering pump isn't being driven by the belt any more. Then you'll see the battery light come on on your dash. This is because the alternator is no longer being energized by the motion of the belt and you're running off the electrical power of your battery now. That battery is only meant to get your car started and then rest and get recharged. After your car is started, the alternator does all the work. Unless your belt snaps. Then you're back to the battery....and depending on how many electronics you have on at the time (headlights, radio, wipers, air conditioner, heater, et cetera) you have 1-5 miles to get off the side of the road and to a safe place. THAT'S IT! Don't try to push it further because YOU WILL GET STRANDED. 

So don't get stranded, take care of the belt BEFORE a minor problem becomes a major pain. 

Every year, I get a lot of calls from people that their air conditioning isn't working properly or the heater isn't working. Wanna know a mechanic's secret? 

Some of these problems are fixed very simply by filling your coolant with the proper amount of coolant. If you car doesn't have enough coolant in it, the engine won't get cool, making it hard for the AC to cool the cabin in the summer. If it doesn't have enough coolant in the engine, the engine won't get warm in the winter, making it difficult to heat the cabin when it's cold outside. 

So before you call your mechanic about your climate control not being controlled the way you want it to be, simply check your coolant level. It may fix the problem quickly and inexpensively.

My Car Doc is going to be starting a new class: Auto 101, The Basics. This will be a two hour class that teaches you the basics of how your car works, how to take care of it, and the small things you can do to keep your ride running for a long, long time! 

This class will be taught at our new Keystone Crossing offices at 5:30 with refreshments provided.  We can also bring this class to your office, church or youth group.