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Email Many people are quite surprised to learn they have damage to the frame or unibody of their vehicle. Instead, they feel they have persistent problems with the suspension and alignment. Problems they have not been able to get repaired. Most frame and unibody repair comes to us for other reasons.
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Email One of the most useful parts of the AGCO website is the Vehicle Questions category. Here you can find answers to hundreds of questions we have been asked over the years. When an interesting question is emailed to us or asked on the radio program , we add it to our data base. It's easy to use and provided without charge by AGCO automotive.
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Email Power windows are a very convenient accessory. They are also one of the most numerous repairs we perform at AGCO Automotive. This is partially due to very light-weight designs from manufacturers. Rather than gears and steel lifting mechanisms, many vehicles now use plastic and light stamped metal regulators.
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Email I think it is no accident that Deming management helped raise Japan from the ashes of WWII and never really took hold in the West. Cultural differences were certainly a factor. Japanese society has long ago realized cooperation is their best way getting ahead. Western society tends to almost exclusively reward individual effort.
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Email Wheel alignment is an often mis-understood topic. Much of the mis-understanding comes from mis-information that floods advertisement. A few of the myths concerning wheel alignment are:
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Email Quite often folks call and ask how much is a brake job?
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Email The automotive cooling system is one of the most misunderstood parts on a vehicle. Extremely complex while giving all outward appearances of simplicity. This is why cooling system repairs account for a huge amount of total repair to vehicles. Like many other things most of the repairs are preventable.
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Email Largely accepted is that things get old and break. Automobiles are certainly no exception Many people get hundreds of thousands of useful miles. Others have to replace much sooner and have far more problems along the way. There are reasons and knowing them can save a person thousands of dollars.
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Email The automobile of today is an incredibly complex machine. Through the extensive integration of computers, this complexity can be utilized and made largely invisible to the driver. This is by design and a wonderful feature of modern vehicles. Simply turn a key an it starts, push a button and the climate is controlled, drive 500 miles without effort, until something goes wrong.
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Email I received an interesting question, asking for a recommendation of local dealerships, from a service standpoint. I feel service should be a consideration when buying a new vehicle. I also have a different view point of how service might best be obtained.
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Email We perform quite a few pre-purchase inspections on vehicles clients intend to buy. I am often surprised at the number of really poor vehicles that are brought in and the amount they are listed for. Vehicles are NOT inexpensive. New cars easily cost $20,000 to $30,000. Finding a good used vehicle for under $10,000 is also pretty tough.
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Email Many folks have asked for our recommendations for storing their portable generators, now that the storms have [hopefully] ended. We hope the following general recommendations will be of help.
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Email Years ago, AGCO added automatic transmission repair to our list of services. I was amazed at how many folks came in for transmission repair. I was also amazed at how often the problem was actually something else .
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Email In October AGCO Automotive will once again take our staff and their spouses on a company cruise. Many people have asked if this is an incentive. NO, it is not an incentive at all. The entire staff goes and there are no predetermined criteria attached. Rather I consider it a reinforcement, for hard work and excellence and a team building exercise.
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Email Almost everyone would like to save money on auto repair. By finding and learning to "work with" the right shop, a lot of time and money can be saved.
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Email I feel it is ironic that two of the strongest urges in mankind are actually contradictory:
1.) The urge to avoid risk.
2.) The urge to get more than we pay for.
Perhaps as ironic, these two urges are often used to take advantage of people, giving them neither. A lottery may be an example. The amount wagered is small, thus seeming to avoid any real risk. Yet the lure is to get more than we have paid for. Even though we know there is almost no chance, huge numbers of people give away millions of their hard earned dollars.
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Email A very wise person once wrote that nothing is ever truly free. I think most reasonable people realize that anything of value has a cost and the client always pays that cost. Still the word free is very often used in business to lure the unsuspecting. The lure of free is a very strong one, and people continue to be taken in over and again.
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Email Sometimes older vehicles need major repair. A transmission, engine or possibly large air conditioner repair. Often when this occurs the first thought is, how much is the vehicle worth? The answer may have less to do with a book-value and far more to do with your needs.
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Email One of the most persistent questions we get is, "How much air should I put in my tires?"
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Email Valve clatter, pinging, pre-ignition and detonation. These are all terms for the strange rattle or knock an engine can make when accelerating. Regardless of the name used, the cause is the same.
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Email So with no symptom, why be concerned? If it’s not broken, why fix it? This is very expensive reasoning. The symptoms are there, they are merely not revealed to the driver. For instance, worn spark plugs simply demand more energy from the ignition coil(s). A restricted fuel filter over-works the fuel pump and a timing belt just breaks, in time.
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Email They're called temporary or emergency battery cable ends. In my opinion they also cause far more problems than they solve . . .
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Email Timing belts can be quite confusing. First, not every engine has one. Some engines use gear drives or timing chains, which do not normally require maintenance. Others use belts and like any piece of rubber, the timing belt must be replaced in time.
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Email An oil filter may seem like a very insignificant part of the vehicle, but it is as important to the vehicle, as the kidneys are to the human body. The oil filter cleans the oil, which is the life blood of the engine. If the oil stops flowing, even for a matter of seconds, severe engine damage can result.
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Email Several times a week vehicles come into the shop with major problems. Rear main seals, valve guide seals and valve covers leaking are very common. Inevitably, when the engine is examined it is clear the oil has not been changed often enough. The seals are now very hard and brittle and the engine has several leaks. More unfortunate, this may only be the beginning.
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Email You’re returning home after driving a long distance. You pull off the interstate and stop at the signal. When you take-off, the transmission shifts very hard and sticks in second gear. All sorts of thoughts race through your mind, "Can I make it home," "What’s happening," and "How much is this going to cost?" You make it home and get out the phone book. After finding the transmission shops you start calling, looking for information. "How much is a rebuilt transmission?" This may seem like a reasonable course of action, but may very well set the unsuspecting driver up for a very expensive lesson. So what’s so wrong with asking for a price?
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Email What does Mary know that Sue doesn't? . . .
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Email As a repair shop owner, I often hear, "Why did this happen?" When it comes to vehicle repairs, the answers may surprise you . . .
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Email Power windows are a great convenience, until they break.
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Email Even when the Automotive Hour is not broadcast live, AGCO Auto users can still hear the show
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Email Could a very common mis-belief be endangering your family?
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Email A proper service can never harm a transmission. Properly done, service can prevent problems and extend the transmission’s useful life. Improper service can be worse than no service at all. I feel it is very important to have only a trusted specialist service your transmission.
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Email Good automotive service, it’s very difficult to find. Not only does it take two to three days to get the vehicle back, often it’s not fixed the first time. Better shops often have a week or longer waiting lists for appointments. Whatever happened to the "good ole guy" at the gas station that could fix anything? The answers may be a surprise.
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Email The practice is called menu pricing. Many think they can select services, like commodities, simply by comparing price on a menu. In reality the practice may insure, not only unpleasant surprises with regard to price, but that they will be taken advantage of.
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Email A true craftsman’s primary interest is fixing the vehicle properly. By offering great service they earn and honest living. There are also those who’s primary interest is making money. They simply do so by repairing vehicles. A little work up front can help direct you to the type individual with whom you would rather deal.
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Email Being energy efficient does not have to mean doing without. These insulation panels have proved to be a win-win situation . . .
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Email Can vehicles last 100,000 miles? Two-hundred thousand, five-hundred thousand, longer . . .
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Email There is an awful lot of hype concerning hybrid vehicles these days. All sorts of claims are made, particularly by those that profit from the sale of hybrids . . .
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Email Joe needs a set of tires for his vehicle and naturally he wants the best deal he can get. He shops a bit, but hears so many pitches that he has no idea who to believe. Exhausted, he buys a set that promises the lowest price. A few days later he notices a vibration as he drives . . .
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Email Traditions can be good things, when they help people and allow for better service. They can also be very bad when they stand in the way of improvement. AGCO thinks it's past time to turn some things around . . .
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Email Vehicle manufacturers make very specific recommendations for their transmission designs. Failure to use the proper automatic transmission fluid can result in transmission shifting and other problems.
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Email The sign says “Brake Job $89.99." You drop the vehicle off, wait and then get “the call.” We’ve checked your brakes and you need yada, yada, yada, that comes to $497.60. Frustrated, you authorize the repair. When you pick up the vehicle you notice the brake pedal is low and the steering wheel shakes when you brake. ARGGGGGGGG! . . .
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Email Do you know what an "Up-sell" is, as it relates to the auto service business? This knowledge may save you a bundle . . .
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Email Several times a week someone calls with the question, “How much do you charge to flush . . .
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Email They have been around almost as long as cars; those devises claiming to increase fuel mileage . . .
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Email How to stretch more miles per gallon from your present vehicle, without spending a lot of money . . .
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Email AGCO wins the American Advertising Federation (AAF) award for an advertising campaign once again . . .
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Email I am often asked why I recommend only Michelin tires. Those that know me also know that I do not recommend them because I sell them. On the contrary, I sell them because I know the quality they represent.
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Email It never seems to fail. Just after the end of the warranty period something expensive always seems to break. Wouldn't it be great to know what was going to fail, before the warranty ended . . .
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Email The most common question folks ask about auto repair may be setting them up for an expensive, frustrating experience . . .
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