I filter all of this through my Mom but if you find something here that offends you, let me know and I will remove it. ..Mark

(1) The three little words are: "Hold On, Please..." Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off (instead of hanging-up immediately) would make each telemarketing call so much more time-consuming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt. Then when you eventually hear the phone company's "beep-beep-beep" tone, you know it's time to go back and hang up your handset, which has efficiently completed its task. These three little words will help eliminate telephone soliciting.

(2) Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one on the other end? This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone calls and records the time of day when a person answers the phone. This technique is used to determine the best time of day for a "real" sales person to call back and get someone at home.

What you can do after answering, if you notice there is no one there, is to immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times, as quickly as possible. This confuses the machine that dialed the call and it kicks your number out of their system.

(3) When you get "ads" enclosed with your phone or utility bill, return these "ads" with your payment. Let the sending companies throw their own junk mail away.

When you get those "pre-approved" letters in the mail for everything from credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk, do not throw away the return envelope. Most of these come with postage-paid return envelopes, right? It costs them more than the regular 37cents postage "IF" and when they receive them back.

It costs them nothing if you throw them away! The postage was around 50 cents before the last increase and it is according to the weight. In that case, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in these cool little, postage-paid return envelopes. Send an ad for your local chimney cleaner to American Express. Send a pizza coupon to Citibank.

If you want to remain anonymous, just make sure your name isn't on anything you send them. You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to just to keep them guessing!

Mark Salem
mark@marksalem.com
www.marksalem.com

When you ask me a car question, via e-mail or on TV, I am only as good as the information you give me. There are three acceptable answers to my questions, YES, NO and I DON'T KNOW.  For example, if I were to give you directions to my house for dinner and leave out an important left turn, you won't likely make it.

Here is the example #1:

Hello Mark,

I have read your FAQ section. Thanks for the info. Problem ... Car starts okay. After about 1 minute the engine starts to splutter and eventually dies. Pressing down accelerator causes it to stall and dies quicker. This happens during the daytime about 2pm when the outside temperatures is about 80degF. I do the same thing at night around 9pm when the air temperature is colder, the car operates normal. Idles well at 1000rpm and accelerates well. No problems.

I checked the fuel pump - okay. Replaced fuel filter. Replaced controller on rotor etc. Makes no difference. etc.

After reading your FAQ's I began suspecting the cooling system. About 10pm temp cooler outside, I started the car and drove it about 1-mile. It operated normally but the temperature gauge was
reading abnormally high (the high-end of normal). Tomorrow during the daytime I will remove the thermostat to see if this has any effect.

Do you think I am right to suspect the cooling system? (I no longer have any faith in our local mechanics).

Roger

Roger,

I think you have a bad fuel pump, how did you eliminate it from being  bad, did you run a fuel pressure test when it was acting up?

Mark

Hi Mark

No ... Did not run pressure test, no way of doing so. All I did was disconnect the fuel line under the hood and turned the key on. I could hear the pump operating and it distributed fuel through the line to where I disconnected under the hood. So from that, I assumed the pump was operating okay. As this doesn't occur until the engine heats up perhaps there is not enough pressure? Should I get a new pump?

Thanks for your reply Mark, it is well appreciated.

Roger

Roger,

I would simply have a pressure gauge installed for a few days and monitor the fuel pressure. You could put a pump in, but know I am only guessing.

Mark Salem

It's okay Mark, I found the problem and fixed it. It was the fuel pump. I put a new one in and she worked like a hot damn. I guess the pump worked okay when it was cold but when it warmed up it crapped out. Tough one but thanks for all your help.

Roger

As you can see, at first Roger said the fuel pump was OK and I almost took him at his word. Yet when I asked him how he arrived at that conclusion, that the fuel pump was OK, his answer told me about the "test" he ran. That kind of test tells you, tell us,  NOTHING. That test is bogus and just seeing if fuel will spray means nothings, not to mention how dangerous that is.

YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO TEST A FUEL PUMP WITH A PRESSURE GAUGE WHEN THE PROBLEM IS OCCURRING. There is no shortcut here.

Example #2

Subj:    Re: Vibration - 92 Buick Roadmaster
Date:    5/2/01
To:    Kermit

Mark:

I need your help. I recently bought a used 92 Roadmaster with only 51,000 miles - a beautifully cared for auto - but on the highway it sometimes starts vibrating.

Mostly at high speeds such as 75 or 80, but it also does it at 50, 60 or 70

....one time it was only doing 42 MPH...it shakes and rumbles just like going over a cattle guard at 5 or 10 MPH... but same intensity at any of those speeds. 3 times we've had the tires/wheels off and balanced by 3 different outfits - they can't poinpoint a bad tire/wheel.

We've replaced the Tranny/driveshaft bushing - no difference.

Had it jacked up on stands, running at all speeds, jack up one side at a time...no vibration. This noise sometimes does it for only a few seconds, then it may rumble on and on until I have to break it by giving more gas or braking because I'm afraid it'll damage something severely. Please, please help me. Your advice will be greatrly appreciated. Everybody tells me I should buy new tires (a $400 plus hit) but my tires look great. Thanx for listening.

Kermit

Kermit

We are only as good as the info you give us.

If you reread your first e-mail, you will find what we did. And that is 90% of what you told us . . . is what you did or someone else did in an attempt to fix this problem. Because you still have this problem, none of that matters. And why would all of that work that did not touch your problem eliminate any of that from being related to your problem? Otherwise, if it's not fixed yet, why couldn't it still be something they said was OK?

What we know is you have a vibration and it can occur between 42 and 70mph. We can't do anything, we can't help you find and fix this problem with this small amount of information. We don't know if the vibration is felt in the seat of your pants or in the strg wheel. Is it felt all over the car or just in the front? Has any of the work that has been done changed it for the better or the worse.

Until you (because you experience it) can do a better job of communicating what the heck this is, your success rate will continue to be low. Our questions in FAQ # 48 are designed to get that info from you.

Good luck.

Mark Salem

Subj:    Re: Vibration - 92 Buick Roadmaster   
Date:    5/1/2001 11:49:18 PM Mountain Daylight Time   
From:    Kermit

Mark:

Thanx for your reply. I've now read FAQ#48 three times, and feel that my mechanic, front end aligner, and two tire companies have done about everything on that list that could make that kind of noise. I was hoping you had some magic answer for me, I guess, maybe a recurring problem with these big 92/96 Buick Roadmasters, Cadillac Fleetwoods, Chevy Caprices. I guess I'll just have to wait until whatever is causing it comes completely apart-hopefully not at 80 MPH. Thanx again for your assistance.

Kermit

Then about 25 days later I get this note from Kermit:

HEY Mark

We Found it today ! It's the Lockout Switch on the automatic transmission. Thanks to Adolph at Adolph's transmissions.

Kermit

Kermit,

Do you have any idea how far away a lock up solenoid is from all of the work you had done? In your first note you said you replaced the transmission? You said it would happen at 75 to 80? WOW. Your symptoms are a long way away from a lock up solenoid problem. TCC solenoids lock at 38-45 mph and a new trans would have or should have had a new one.

Mark Salem