Have you ever wondered which questions your mechanic hears most frequently in a day or week of working in a garage? Are you curious if you’ve asked one of those FAQs? We’ve done a little digging and have compiled a list of what gets asked most often at an auto service center.
- How much is it going to cost?
- Will my warranty cover it?
- How soon can I get my vehicle back?
- Do I really need to have the work done to my auto?
- Do you think it could be... or that…?
- What’s causing that noise?
- Will my car ever be the same?
- How closely should I stick to the recommended maintenance or my vehicle?
- When the “check engine” light turns on, what should I do?
- How often should I change my oil?
- How frequently do my spark plugs need to be changed?
- How do I know if my car is still under warranty?
- Do you take walk-in customers?
- Why should I choose you for the service my car needs?
- How long will it take you to get to my car?
- Is your work on my vehicle guaranteed?
So, how did you stack up against the FAQs and how often do
you find yourself asking these questions?
We’d love to hear your experience relating to this week’s column. Feel
free to share whether or not you ask these questions regularly of your mechanic
and if you’ve been pleased or satisfied with the answers you’ve received. Visit us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/autolocator) or
tweet us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/auto_locator)
with your thoughts and feedback.
Information for this
article was sourced from mechanictogo.com, autos.com and mymechanicsf.com. Image sourced from wikipedia.org.
This Week’s Recalls:
Hyundai
Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 1.6 liter model year 2015 Sonata
vehicles manufactured August 29, 2014, to October 28, 2014. The affected
vehicles may have been assembled with an incorrect left axle shaft which may
result in the shaft separating from the transaxle differential. If the left axle shaft separates from the
transaxle, the vehicle may stop moving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Additionally, a separated axle shaft may allow the vehicle to roll away as the
driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle
rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
American
Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2015 Crosstour 4
Cylinder vehicles manufactured October 1, 2014, to November 4, 2014, Crosstour
V6 2WD vehicles manufactured September 30, 2014, to November 13, 2014, and
Crosstour V6 4WD vehicles manufactured September 30, 2014, to November 18,
2014. The inflator tube for the side curtain air bag may have been incorrectly
manufactured. If the side curtain air
bag does not properly inflate, it can affect the performance of the air bag in
the event of a vehicle crash, increasing the risk of occupant injury.
BMW
of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 MINI
Cooper Hardtop 2 Door, and Cooper S Hardtop 2 Door vehicles manufactured
January 6, 2014, to October 17, 2014. During service appointments, dealers may
have inadvertently reprogrammed the transmission control unit with software
that may allow drivers to exit the vehicle when the transmission is not in
Park. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 114, "Theft Protection and
Rollaway Prevention." If the driver
exits the vehicle without the transmission being in Park, the vehicle could
roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime
thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting
occupants and bystanders.
American
Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2014 Acura RLX vehicles
manufactured November 22, 2012, to January 30, 2014, 2015 Acura RLX vehicles
manufactured June 4, 2014, to November 18, 2014, and 2014 Acura RLX Hybrid
vehicles manufactured November 5, 2013, to July 25, 2014. An aluminum film
applied to the inner reflector of the headlight may experience adhesion issues
causing the film to delaminate. Thus, these vehicles fail to comply with the
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108,
"Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." Delamination of the aluminum film may
diminish output of the headlight, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Farber
Specialty Vehicles (Farber) is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 Winnebago
WFG38S vehicles manufactured January 1, 2008, to December 24, 2009 equipped
with certain model S2005, S2010, S5005, S5010, S5505, and S5510 wheelchair
lifts manufactured by Ricon Corporation. The platform side plate of the
affected wheelchair lifts may crack. If
the platform side plates crack, the lift platform can separate from the lift
and come to rest against the vehicle's lift door. When the doors are opened,
the platform may fall out, increasing the risk of injury to the lift operator.
Chrysler
Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 Dodge Ram 1500
and Durango, 2005-2007 Dodge Ram 2500, Charger, Magnum, Dakota, Chrysler 300,
300C, SRT8, 2006-2007 Dodge Ram 3500 and Mitsubishi Raider, and 2007 Chrysler
Aspen. Upon deployment of the driver side frontal air bag, excessive internal
pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver side
frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking and
potentially seriously injuring the vehicle occupants.
