The two most important parts of a car are generally the most neglected. First and foremost are the tires. Seriously, most people could give a shit what kind of rubber they put on their rides even though they fail to realize that tires are what keeps them on the straight and narrow. The second thing is their oil. Now granted the old adage of changing your oil every 3,000 miles doesn’t really apply on today’s cars as they’re usually good for around 5k per change. However I know some people who haven’t changed their oil in 15,000-20,000 miles!! People that’s like the equivalent of eating a stick of butter and a pound bacon everyday and thinking that your heart is not going to eventually explode. Oil is the lifeblood of any car and to ensure your rides longevity it must be tended too regularly. I know the most I’ve gone is about 8,000 miles, but what about you guys… what are your thoughts. Are you still in the 3,000 mile club or do you simply not give a shit and change it once every 2 years…

Hat tip: VWVortex.com

The Ferrari 458 Italia. Image: IFCAR

Free scheduled maintenance has helped manufacturers like BMW and Volkswagen sell cars for years. In most cases, the “free service” offer is more hype than substance, since manufacturers drag out service intervals to 10,000 mile, requiring the motor savvy (or paranoid) among us to buck up for every other oil change. Worse, there’s all sorts of absurd restriction on most plans, so that manufacturers don’t have to pay for wear items like brake pads or rotors. Still, the idea of free anything is enough to make most buyers feel warm and fuzzy, and now buying a Ferrari can give you the same warm and fuzzy feeling of satisfaction.

All 2012 Ferrari California, Ferrari 458 Italia and Ferrari FF models now come with seven years of no charge maintenance at 12,500 mile intervals or annually, whichever comes first. The plan covers parts and labor, and extends beyond the initial owner to cover all subsequent owners for the first seven years.

I haven’t seen detail on what’s included versus what isn’t covered, but if I don’t feel comfortable dragging oil changes out to 10,000 miles on my GTI, I seriously doubt I’d wait for 12,500 miles (or annually) on a Ferrari 458 Italia. Ferraris have earned a reputation as being notoriously expensive to maintain, so the plan is definitely a step in the right direction. Still, like the other plans out there, Ferrari’s free maintenance deal still isn’t enough to make me feel warm and fuzzy.

Source: Inside Line

When I was newly licensed, I asked my dad to teach me a few things every good gearhead should know.  I learned the ins and outs of oil changes (complete with hot liquid down my arm), the proper way to jump a battery, how to change a tire using those frustratingly inadequate little scissor jacks, and how to swap out spark plugs among other things.  I will be the first to tell you I still have a lot to learn but I love the feeling of accomplishment that comes from a good bit of grease and brake dust under your nails.

As I’ve gotten older and busier, I haven’t had the time or resources to do my own wrenching.  I started going to one of those chain stores mostly because it was quick and I no longer had a driveway; working on vehicles in our parking area is forbidden.  It wasn’t my favorite choice, and fell even further from favor after one particularly bad experience:  After I left the garage, I heard a loud clunk-clunk-clunk. I pulled over in a shopping center and after a quick inspection, pulled the center cap covering the lug nuts off the wheel.  They hadn’t even bothered tightening the lugs, and the cap was the only thing holding them on.  Thankful that I had a four-way lug wrench in the trunk, I spent the next ten minutes swearing like Yosemite Sam as I went around the car tightening them properly.  I shudder to think what might have happened if my passengers and I had been on the highway instead.

More recently, my Mazda gave me the Check Engine Light of Annoyance (automotive equivalent of the Windows Blue Screen of Death) as I experienced my own unintentional acceleration drama.  Thoroughly freaked out, I asked a friend to help me diagnose it and he suggested cleaning the throttle body.  One afternoon (and one screwdriver dropped into the opening, only able to be retrieved with a flexible magnetic rod) later, it stopped bucking at stoplights but the light remained on.  I figured if ever there was a time to take it to the pros, this would be it.

I’d never been to a dealership but had heard and read all kinds of horror stories.  Cautiously, I scheduled an appointment, researched all the TSBs that might be related to the issue, checked for recalls, and crossed my fingers.  It seems I found one of the few honest service departments left in our great country (at least, in my neck of the woods).  My Service Manager was beyond courteous, completely honest, and went out of his way to make sure it was fixed in time.  It turns out I had a giant hole in one of the vacuum hoses that I couldn’t see.  Finally, the CEL was gone from my dash.  I don’t know how much longer I’ll have the car but it needs some love if I want it to keep running well.  Although the prices are more expensive, the dealership lets me use coupons and I trust they’ll get the work done correctly.  I know that this is the exception, not the rule, though which is unfortunate.

It was easy to understand my little four-bangers of ’90′s vintage but I can only wonder about the future. It’s getting to where you need a degree from MIT, six years at NASA, and a bit of luck to comprehend the workings of modern vehicles.  Cars are rolling Smartphones and have more nannies than a celebrity mom these days.  Will we be able to continue the ritual of Saturday shade-tree mechanics?  And if not, what happens when your local dealership is more of a stealership that cares more about profits than proper service?  It will be interesting to see how this evolves.

Today’s automobiles are packed with so much technology that frankly it’s a bit overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, it’s all wonderful stuff, but man oh man are our cars becoming advanced. In fact our cars are so complicated now that basic tinkering is almost impossible. I remember a time when you could open a cars hood and know immediately what everything did. Things like the alternator, power steering pump, brake booster, plug wires… these were all things that could be fixed and or dealt with in ones own garage. Nowadays though even something as simple as an oil change or brake job can be a hassle. Hell, the only reason to open the hood now is just to make sure the engine didn’t fall out. These are no longer fully mechanical machines like their predecessors were, and as such, they require very special equipment when it comes to diagnosing and fixing any issues. Technicians nowadays are not what most would consider the typical “grease monkey”, but highly skilled individuals who operate multi-million dollar equipment on a daily basis.

Just think about this for a moment – a basic modern car has at least 30 ECU’s which control the different functions of the automobile. Things like remote start, power door locks and alarm systems all have separate modules. Now bring into the mix advanced braking and ignition systems, throttle-by-wire and computer controlled suspension and well, you can see how things can get complicated very quickly. Many drivers take these things for granted as most of these systems are transparent. For those of us that are into the technology though, lets just say that watching the automobile evolve is simply extraordinary. I look at my old hot rods that are now ancient relics with their old school carburetors and distributors. Then I think of new cars like the Chevrolet Volt and wonder how much farther are we going to go. What will cars look like in 40 or 100 years and how will our modern infrastructure have to change to accommodate them. This is an exciting time to be a car enthusiast, because right now the automobile is going through a renaissance, it’s just that you have to look very closely to catch it.

Hawaii (surprisingly) is the most expensive- from insurance to depreciation. It’s not so sunny over there when you see those numbers, huh?

Not that you can plan your move around a car (that would just be silly), but before moving somewhere, make sure you check out whether it’s a pricey state or not. You’ll be better prepared for surprise costs and figuring it into your cost of living- especially if you’re in the process of new car shopping so you can factor in the type of depreciation the car would get in certain states.

The infographic below shows the more expensive states to own and maintain a car in. Enjoy!

Back in the stone ages of motoring, cars came with real instrumentation, typically including a tachometer (to measure engine speed), a speedometer (to measure road speed), a voltage gauge or an ammeter (to measure voltage or current to the battery), an oil pressure gauge, an oil temperature gauge, fuel gauge and a coolant temperature gauge. Over the years, car makers realized two things: it was cheaper to replace functional gauges with idiot lights, and people actually paid more attention to idiot lights than they did gauges. Thus was born the modern instrument panel, which now typically includes a speedometer, a fuel gauge and (maybe) a temperature gauge and tachometer. All of the other critical information your car can display to you is now done via the driver information display or via idiot lights.

When a dash warning light comes on, it always signals trouble. Sometimes this is serious, pull to the side of the road NOW stuff, while other times it’s get-around-to-having-it-looked-at-next-week stuff. If you’re reading car blogs, chances are good you already know this; however, you’d be surprised at the number of drivers who have no clue what a particular warning light indicates. Below I’ll try to give you an example of the more common ones, along with my take on how serious the situation is. If you remember nothing else, remember this: automakers typically code warning lights either red or yellow. If you see a red light, it’s a good idea to pull to the side of the road as quick as you can safely do so. A yellow light typically signifies a problem as well, but one you can address after you get home.

Red Warning Lights

Oil Pressure

Typically represented by a stylized oil can, this is the mother of all warning lights. If you see the low oil pressure light come on, stop the car as soon as you safely can. Most oil pressure warning lights don’t even trip until the engine is already being damaged, so if this light comes on don’t even think about driving the car until you check and replenish the lost oil.

Coolant Temperature

Typically represented by the word “TEMP” or a stylized thermometer, this is another warning light that demands your immediate attention. You car will soon begin to overheat, if it isn’t doing so already, probably because your engine coolant level is low. Stop the car as soon as you can safely do so and check the coolant level in the external reservoir. DO NOT attempt to open the radiator cap, unless a face full of steam and scalding water is your idea of a good time.

Brake

Typically represented by the word “BRAKE”, this usually means one of two things: either you forgot to release the parking brake and are enjoying the smell of burning brake pads, or your brake fluid level is low. On a modern vehicle, that’s a pretty unusual situation unless your brake pads are completely worn out or you’ve got a leak in your hydraulic system. If it were me, I’d limp the car home but give myself more braking distance since I’d expect pedal effort to increase as I continued to drive. If you’re not comfortable driving with reduced braking ability, I’d seriously encourage you to pull to the side of the road and have your car towed.

Battery

Typically represented by a battery symbol, this means your charging system isn’t working properly. It may also mean you’re living on borrowed time, as your car will be drawing down the voltage in your battery without replenishing it. If your close to home (less than 30 minutes) and you’ve got a battery less than 3 years old, go for it. If you’re hours away from home and the battery is ancient, you won’t be going too far.

Yellow Warning Lights

Check Engine

Typically represented by a stylized engine, this light signals that you’ve got some kind of trouble with your engine’s emission control systems. It may be as simple as a loose gas cap, or as complicated as a defective oxygen sensor. Most modern cars have a “limp home” mode that allow you to drive at reduced power; in a worst case scenario, you’ll just take longer getting home than planned. Get this checked out as soon as you can, but don’t let it stop you from driving home.

Tire Pressure

Usually represented by a cross section of tire with an exclamation point in the center, this light means that one of your tires is low. Some newer cars have an information display that will tell you which tire is low. Less well-equipped vehicles (like my FJ Cruiser) require you to check each tire to find the one down on pressure. If I were behind the wheel, I’d stop and check my tire pressure as soon as possible, starting with my spare tire (assuming you have a full size spare equipped with a pressure sensor). Since I carry a plug repair kit and compressor with me, I’d inspect the low pressure tire for punctures, repair, re-inflate and be on my way.

Traction / Stability Control

Typically, this light shows a car with skid marks behind it. If the light is on, your stability control isn’t working: verify that you haven’t turned the system off by accident, and proceed with caution.

ABS System

Represented by the letters “ABS” in a circle surrounded by brackets, this light means that your ABS system isn’t working as intended. It may be something as simple as a blocked sensor, or it may mean mechanical damage to the ABS system itself. I’ve driven a lot of cars without ABS, so this wouldn’t cause me much concern; as long as the red “Brake” light isn’t on, you should have reasonable braking ability (though without the anti-lock feature).

Remember that this is a general summary, and that your car and circumstances may vary. When in doubt about your car’s safety (or your ability to drive a damaged car) always err on the side of caution and pull over when it’s safe to do so.

Now that winter is upon us, and most of the US is dealing with cold, snow or some mixture of both, here are two videos that prove the merits of winter tires over their all-season or summer-only counterparts. If you live where the white stuff falls on a regular basis, you really do need to invest in a good set of winter tires, as these videos dramatically demonstrate. If the winter tires help you avoid a single accident, you’ve recovered the cost of buying them.

As for brands, I’ve always like Dunlop’s winter tires and have found their Wintersport M3s to be the best winter tires on the market. Not only do they excel in snow and ice, but they also suck less than other winter tires when the roads are clear and dry. You won’t be using them to autocross with, but they provide more grip and less tread squirm than any Bridgestone I’ve ever driven on. If you’re shopping for winter tires for a non-sporting ride, the Bridgestone Blizzak is also a decent choice.

Some will debate the merits of studded snows over the new generation of studless winter tires, and here’s my take: if you drive on hardpack snow and ice for the bulk of the winter, then shop for studded (or studable) tire; if you spend most of your winter driving on dry roads, then why deal with the noise and the hassle of studded snows?

Do you believe in reincarnation? For automobiles, at least, there’s documented proof of its existence, in the form of Porsche’s Classic Workshop. Cars show up at the end of their lives, and roll out the doors reborn as new. It doesn’t matter which type of Porsche you drive, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a street car or a race car; if it needs restoration, the Porsche Classic Workshop is the place to take it. The Workshop stocks over 35,000 parts, for vehicles as recent as the 993 variant of the 911. If a part is no longer available, the workshop has the ability to recreate it using the original documentation and tooling. In some cases, duplicate or equivalent parts are sourced from Porsche suppliers.

Porsche Classic also sponsors and attends enthusiast events, like the “Old Timer Grand Prix” at Germany’s Nürburgring. Porsche Classic employees are on hand to discuss restoration and services, and to answer any questions a customer may have. Restorations can be as simple or complex as a customer’s budget allows. Step one is a detailed estimate, covering engine and transmission, electrics, chassis, body, paint and interior. Once the level of work is agreed upon at the arrival stage, the car then goes through a through dismantling and refurbishing as defined by the customer.

Porsche’s Classic Workshop is located in Freiberg am Neckar, Germany (near Stuttgart) , but handles repair and restoration for customers from around the world. Porsche will even arrange transportation of your car to and from the Workshop, taking care of the logistical nightmare of importing and exporting a vehicle. Over 70% of all Porsche’s built are still on the road, so it looks like the technicians at the Classic Workshop have better job security than most of us.

Need new skins on your car? Better buy them quick, since prices have already gone up this year and will increase again next month. Goodyear, Bridgestone and Cooper have all announced October tire price increases, directly related to the supply of rubber available on the market.

Autoblog, via Bloomberg, tells us that there was surplus of 237,000 tons of natural rubber in 2009; this year, however, manufacturers are facing a shortage estimated to be around 60,000 tons. Raw material prices have already increased, and rubber hit a record price of $4.11 per kilogram this past April. It still remains unusually high, trading at $3.50 per kilo this week. Harvests of raw materials in Thailand, Indonesia and Russia have been impacted by both droughts and heavy rains, and the supply of rubber isn’t expected to improve for another two years or so.

Increased worldwide car sales have also impacted rubber availability and pricing, and automobile sales are projected to grow even more in 2011. As you’d expect, the shortage will have an impact on other rubber automobile components as well, including belts and hoses. Even household consumer goods are expected to go up in price in the coming months, so you’d better stock up on condoms and rubber gloves now.

Wouldn't it be good to know what a repair should cost?

Wouldn’t it be cool if there was an app that told you, based on local rates in your area, just how much a specific repair should cost? Wouldn’t it be even better if it broke things down separately by parts and labor? How about if it gave you steep by step directions, compiled by mechanics and complete with photos, on how to do the repair yourself?

You’re in luck, because AutoMD does all of the above. The free app uses data from US Auto Parts Network (creator of the app) and labor rates based upon your location. Sure, the AutoMD website does the same thing, but the iPhone app lets you price repairs on the go. Put a rod through the side of your block when you money shift your Acura RSX, and you can know exactly how long you’ll be living on ramen and tap water before the tow truck even arrives.

It’s not foolproof, since it crashed a few times on my iPhone 3G running iOS 4.1. I finally did get it to work, and the costs it gave me seemed to be right on the money. Even the do-it-yourself repair advice was pretty good, but if you’ve never turned a wrench it probably won’t be detailed enough to help you with cam belt replacement in your Ferrari 308. It’s a free app, and definitely worth downloading for reference.