The Pep Boys Auto Guide To Car Care And Maintenance Review

After reading another's review of The Pep Boys Auto Guide To Car Care And Maintenance ...I "Googled" this book.  Parts of it are available for free on-line, if you have a Google mail account.

It teaches you the basics, from what I can see - right down to "How to pump gas." (Some states are still full service - i.e. New Jersey & Oregon according to the book.  Lucky b********.) Everyone should know the basics about their car.  Examples: Engine size; is it a 4 cyl. or 6 cyl.?  What size tires does my car take?  What weight of oil does my car take?

Since I was at times either an asst. mgr. or a mgr. of a Good-Year franchised dealer, I'll pass along what I know to be fact here.

1. Tires should be checked for proper inflation at least once a month; preferably once every two weeks.  So what is "proper inflation"?  You can usually find this in the owner's manual or on the driver's side door panel.  There are exceptions.  A lot of tires have a max inflation of 35 psi.  Some newer tires, to lower rolling resistance, now have a max inflation of 44 psi.  If you replace your tires with the newer, high pressure tires, adjust the air pressure accordingly.  The higher the air pressure, the lower the rolling resistance - thus better gas mileage.  Tires running low on air can decrease your gas mileage up to 10% or more.  Say you spend $40 a week on gas; times 52 weeks equals $2080.  Ten percent of that is $208.  That's $208 either in your pocket or down the drain.
2. Tire rotation: Tires should be rotated and checked for balance every 6,000 miles or so.  An easy way to remember this is simply every other oil change.  Rotating your tires will insure that all 4 wear evenly and extend the life by thousands of miles.  Many tire shops will rotate & re-balance your tires for free when you buy tires from them.  Not rotating your tires will result in the front ones wearing out prematurely.
3. Oil: It's been said so many times...Oil is the life blood of your car.  In the case of oil, I toss out the owner's manual.  Change your oil and oil filter every 3,000 miles or 3 months, whichever comes first.  Oil is not just a lubricant.  There are 3 purposes to oil: It cleans, it cools & it lubricates.
4. Anti-Freeze or Coolant: Keeping your engine at the proper temperature is vitally important.  Too hot & the engine could fail completely.  Too cool can cause excessive fuel consumption.  Check your owner's manual or with a certified mechanic for when to do this.  A good rule of thumb is once every other year.
5. Alignment: Most cars today are front wheel drive, which means 4 wheel independent suspension.  Some rear wheel driven cars also...such as the Chevy Corvette.  All 4 wheels need to be aligned...not just the front.  A properly aligned car will drive better & the tires will last a lot longer.  Just normal driving over bumps & through pot holes can knock a car out of alignment.
6. Brakes: If you hear a little chirping sound when you apply the brakes, chances are you need them.  That's the front brake sensor installed on the pads talking to you.  There is no rear brake sensor.  Waiting until your brakes are "metal to metal" will result in buying new rotors and/or drums.  EXPENSIVE!  Here again, is a simple solution.  Remember those tires you bought that came with free rotation & re-balance every 6,000 miles?  Have the mechanic do a quick brake inspection.  He should do it automatically & for free if it's a good shop.  After all, all 4 wheels are already off the car.

Bottom line...  It still comes back to an old Fram commercial; "You can pay me now, or pay me later."  Later will undoubtedly cost a lot more.