Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You've read FAQ #00, right?
OK, now look through the list below.
The first section of FAQs deals with finding
and dealing with any repair shop.
The next section FAQs, deals with symptom driven problems.
The final section covers other topics of general interest.
If you can't find anything to help
you,
click on the e-mail link at the bottom of this list
and write "car question" in the subject line
and e-mail me your question.
I will answer it as soon as I get it.
Finding and dealing
with a repair shop.
01. Finding a good repair facility
02. What kind of Customers do shops NOT WANT?
03. What can I do and say to make sure I'm treated fairly
04. What NOT to say to your shop
05. What can I do to protect myself from getting ripped off?
06. How can I tell if the technician knows what he's doing?
07. What maintenance schedule should I follow?
08. Mark Salem’s Recommended Annual Maintenance Schedule
10. Mr. Shop Owner, Is your repair "a guess" or "a fix"?
11. But I’m only 150 miles out of warranty!
12. I think I was taken, what should I do?
Symptoms
14. Additives: engine, transmission & fuel
15. Aftermarket warranties, good or bad?
16. Alignment issues
17. Belts & hoses
17.5 Brakes, brakes and more brakes!
18. Check Engine Light or Service Engine Soon (SES) Light
19. Cooling system problems, overheating, leaks, etc
20. Emission testing, emission failures and repairs
21. Engine flush for $129? Should I? READ THIS
22. Engine Noises
23. Fuel economy: How can I do better?
24. Fuel injectors
25. Hard to start, extended cranking hot or cold
26. Heater Problems
27. Idle Problems
28. "NO START" no crank, no click
29. Oil
30. Oil Filters
32. Synthetic oils
34. Pinging problems
35. Rear A/C? Better READ THIS
36. Road salt
37. Shocks & struts
38. Smoke: black, blue, white or gray
39. Spark plugs
40. Starting & warming up your car
41. Storing your car long term
43. Throttle blades dirty, what the heck is that?
44. Tires
45. Tire rotations
46. Transmission repair & services
48. Vibrations: Engine or Suspension
49. My car won’t go into reverse when it's cold
50. My GM car jerks and dies at a stop
51. My car dies, stalls or loses power
52. Should I keep it, fix it or trade it in?
53. Super or regular unleaded?
54. Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) & Recalls
55. Boy, do I have a weird electrical problem . . .
58. Timing belts, timing chains.
59. Labor book times versus actual time.
60. Trailer tires, loads and inflation.
61Nitrogen in my tires? A good idea? READ THIS.
Topics of General Interest
62. Why doesn’t Mark’s repair shop, Salem Boys, offer phone estimates?
63. Should I buy a Hybrid? Better READ THIS.
Still nothing?
Then take this link to my e-mail address , then
on the subject line type "Car Repair Question".
Then give me the year, make, model and miles of your car and give me the symptoms. Last,
tell me what repairs you've tried and if they have made anything better or worse.
Because I can get 500 car questions a week, I can no longer answer every question I
get. So if you don't get an answer from me, it's probably because your questions is
answered somewhere on our website. You see, I know if your question has been addressed
somewhere in our site, because I created all the FAQs and wrote all the text
throughout our site!
Copyright ©1997-2012, Mark Salem, Salem Boys Auto, All Rights Reserved