Mark recently visited the dealership and they recommended that he change his power steering fluid, otherwise known as a power steering flush.  The dealership explained that it should be done every 3 years, and oh ya, it cost $186.  The question to me was, how hard is it to do this myself?

 

I began to think about the last time I changed the fluid in my 2004 Acura, and frankly, I don't think I ever have (which goes to show how much I care about the ole' rack 'n' pinion).  I believe it is a good idea to change the power steering fluid because like any other oil, lubricant, fluid, etc. it gets hot, dirty, and nasty (that's what she said).  As we deliberated further, the consensus was that this flush can be done at home under the shade of a tree and be almost as effective.  This guy has some good ideas, but I'm going to give you an even simpler way of doing it.

 

Buy a tool that you can suck fluid with, perhaps using the blue mucus sucker your mom would come at you with as a kid with a stuffed nose.  Next, buy a couple pints of OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) power steering fluid; and I can't stress enough to buy OEM, some autos require it rather than aftermarket.  Next, with the car turned off, suck the fluid out of the reservoir and fill it up with the new fluid.  Start the engine and turn the wheels back and forth a couple times.  Turn the engine  off, check the reservoir and make sure its still full.  Drive for a day or two, then repeat the process.  After repeating about 2 times, you will have eventually replaced the majority of the fluid and saved yourself about $150.

 

Now, don't you feel special?

It seems like lately all I talk about are these recalls, but then again, what else is there to talk about.  Toyota is fighting an uphill battle which has brought them asking for the nation's forgiveness in front of congress; Honda snuck in a little recall of their own, and now Nissan is having issues with their newer vehicles and a Brake pin.

 

Here is some info about the Nissan Recall, take a look and hopefully I can uncover some more insight as to cause, fix, next steps, etc.

We went to the 2010 Chicago Auto Show today and I remembered why I hated the auto show so much.....the droves of people caused me anxiety.  I have worked the show in the past as a representative which is probably the reason why I hate the show so much; they just let anyone into that place.  Why did I go then, you may be asking yourself?  Well, so I can see what is out there and tell you about it.

 

My first mission was to see what the Toyota display looked like.  Manufacturers dedicate resources far in advanced for this show, so it's not like they can pull out to be modest or save expenses.  I really thought that they would be struggling for lookers, but I was so very wrong.

                                                                                                                                                                                          As you'll see in this picture, there were plenty of people wondering around the Toyota display, getting in and out of the cars and trucks, however, I did see several people paying close attention to the gas pedal and trying to see if they can find the shim installed by the factory to correct the recall.

 

 In fact, Toyota seemed to have the most impressive area, with Scion having a super awesome display as seen below.  I saw some new models from Ford and Lexus that I was impressed with; and I saw much of the same from so many other brands.  In all, for the typical consumer the show didn't really miss a beat from years past, but coming from the industry it was clear where costs were cut and publicized weaknesses where hidden.

 

In the next few posts, I'll put up some more pictures from the show and attempt to give more commentary about what I was excited about.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many of you have heard about yet another recall from Toyota, this time affecting the 2009-2010 Corolla, which is the world's top selling automobile.  Toyota has only acknowledged the problem but have not initiated any kind of recall, and news sources are really putting pressure on what this means for the future of the auto maker.

 

Hopefully, Toyota will soon clarify this next potential disaster for them, so in the mean time, you Corolla drivers out there, if your gas pedal sticks, lets hope you can steer to safety.

If you ask any guy between the ages of 25-35 what the secret password for Contra is, you should get an immediately response that goes something like this:

 

up up down down left right left right B A Start

 

I can guarantee, any guy who played Nintendo as a kid knows this and the very concept itself bonds us men like nothing other.  In fact, it was part of our initiation and presentation of our Man Card, that we must furiously enter this password during opening credits to receive 30 extra guys.

 

All the ladies out there, if you want to give your guy a special card for belated Valentine's Day, or Sweetest Day, or anniversary, my suggestions is to simply take a blank piece of paper and write the aforementioned password on it.  Then sign it with love.  You will have won his heart forever.

 

Picture provided by wikipedia

 

According to CNN,  Honda has expanded it's airbag recall to over 400,000 vehicles world wide.  In the shadow of Toyota's meltdown, Honda, who has long been known as the number two manufacture of quality and safe vehicles, has issues with airbags inflators which are reportedly deploying with too much pressure causing injury and even one death.

 

Hmmm, wasn't there a problem with GM and Chrysler not long ago, something about a financial crisis, closing factories, etc.  I can remember it being something big, oh well, can't remember now in light of this Toyonda fiasco.

I was having a conversation this past weekend about Tie Rods and thought it would make for some interesting conversation here.  The Tie Rod connects your wheel to the steering mechanism that is attached to your steering wheel.  If the tie rod breaks, you are no longer able to steer that wheel, which can be bad.  At the end of the tie rod, where it connects to the wheel, there is something called a ball joint  The ball joint is a ball of rubber, with grease inside, that acts as a bushing or cushion for the tremendous load this mechanism endures during normal driving.  Some of these ball joints have a grease fitting (called a Zerk Fitting) on them that allows grease to enter the joint; some of them are sealed where you are unable to add grease.  Grease is a good thing, it keeps things clean, cool, and lubed.  Ever wonder why its called a Lube, Oil  & Filter.

 

Make sure that who ever changes your oil, greases your ball joints (if they are not the sealed kind) seeing that ball joints are often the part of the tie rod that fails; again, that would be bad.  Here is a picture of what this silly thing looks like to help put into perspective:

 

 

Photos Courtesy of CarQuest ®

 

 

 

 

One of the downfalls from leaving the industry is that I don't always get the inside scoop like I use to.  Much like you, I sometimes have to rely on public announcements to understand what those car people are doing these days.  According to the most recent Toyota Press Release, the manufacturer is shipping new pedals to fix the "Sticky Pedal" issue (whatever that means) to dealers right now.  I still do not know what the problem is, whether a flaw in the pedal design or perhaps some kind of electrical issue that hasn't yet been disclosed.  All I know is that Toyota has recalled somewhere over 4 million vehicles and has stopped sales of what seems like every model.  I heard on the radio that Toyota is loosing $6 million a day because of this and that number is only going to rise once the recall repairs kick in.  Boy, I would hate to get that warranty bill!

 

I will try and keep you in the know with new developments, but for now, you Toyota drivers out there make sure to drive safely.

Today Toyota announced and extension to their already massive recall.  The recall now includes:

 

2009-2010 RAV4

2009-2010 Corolla

2009-2010 Matrix

2005-2010 Avalon

2007-2010 Camry

2010 Highlander

 2007-2010 Tundra

2008-2010 Sequoia

 

The manufacturer has begun shipping parts to dealership for the repair, however, the fix is not currently being discussed.  It sounds like a possible sensor controlled gas pedal issue which is failing, but hopefully the details will emerge soon.  To read more about the recall and fix check out Yahoo.

 

I will be sure to post and discuss more details once I learn them.  Until then, drive safely.