My Car Doc, The MOBILE Mechanic!

My Car Doc: Auto 101 Tip: Jumpstarting Your Car

It has happened to everyone: you left your lights on by accident and now you have to get a jumpstart. As simple as it seems, there are people that have never had to do it or simply don’t know how. That’s why I’m here to help! 

1. After arranging the vehicles nose-to-nose (don’t allow them to touch), lift both hoods. 
2. You’re going to connect one of the clamps to the BLACK (NEGATIVE) post on the good battery first. This is important because the black post is the ground. If anything goes wrong, you want to be grounded. 
3. Then connect the other black clamp to the other black post on the dead battery. You can also connect it to an unpainted, stong, solid piece of bare metal like an engine mount or engine block. 
4. Now, connect the corresponding RED clamps to the RED (POSITIVE) battery terminals. At this point, you should have red to red and black to black. 
5. Make sure the cables are not in danger of getting caught by any moving parts when the engines start. 
6. Start the vehicle with the good battery. Allow to run 1-4 minutes. 
7. Try starting the vehicle w/the dead battery. If the vehicle doesn’t start after 4 minutes of charging, there is probably a secondary issue that needs to be addressed. Do NOT attempt to keep restarting, this could lead to damaging the starter. 
8. Keep the newly revived car running at least 30 minutes to give the alternator adeuquate time to recharge the battery. This would be an ideal time to have the alternator and battery tested. 

This has been another Auto 101 tip from My Car Doc. If you like what you see, find us on twitter, tumblr, facebook, and online. Thanks!

—John

My Car Doc: Auto 101 Tip: Batteries don’t like cold weather

Winter is super hard on batteries. A battery is a box full of chemicals that produce electrons. The chemical reactions inside of batteries take place more slowly when the battery is cold, so the battery produces fewer electrons. The starter motor therefore has less energy to work with when it tries to start the engine, and this causes the engine to crank slowly. 

What can you do to help prevent battery problems? Best answers:

• keep the battery warm by keeping the vehicle in the garage in a parking garage as much as possible, 
• use an engine warmer like this one,
• have the battery tested to make sure it has enough cold cranking amps to keep you starting time after time this winter. 

This has been another Auto 101 tip from My Car Doc. If you like what you see, find us on twitter, tumblr, facebook, and online. Thanks!

—John

My Car Doc: Auto 101 Tip: Spark Plugs

One of the best ways to make sure your car lasts a long time is to keep good spark plugs in your engine. This does a couple of things for you and you’ll see the results in your pocketbook: 

1. Good, clean spark plugs will keep the engine running more efficiently, increasing your gas mileage, and
2. good spark plugs keep the engine running more efficiently, increasing the life of your car, which keeps you out of the dealership!

How often should you change your plugs? Well, that’s a bit more complicated. This table will help: 

• GM vehicles made after 2000 usually have double platinum plugs that last for 100K miles
• copper plugs should be replaced every 30K miles
• single platinum plugs should be replaced every 50K miles. 

If you haven’t replaced your plugs in the last three years, then we should probably take a look at them for you. We’re even offering a tune-up special!

Four cylinder engines; tuneups are only $59.99 plus plugs. Six or eight cylinder engines require additional costs. 

—John Cannon, owner of My Car Doc

Want to know more? Find me on twitter, Facebook, & tumblr. 

My Car Doc: Auto 101 Tip: Air Filters

Ever try jogging while wearing a Halloween mask? Of course not, it’s hard to breathe, right? When your car runs with a dirty air filter, you’re choking your engine just as sure as if you were jogging with that mask on your head. Change your air filter ever 12 months or 15K miles. When you change it, mark the date on the side with a sharpie. This will help you keep track of when it was changed last. 

If you don’t change the air filter, your car can start to eventually run roughly, causing harmful, abrasive contaminants into the combustion chamber. 

This has been another Auto 101 tip from My Car Doc. Find us online at www.MyCarDoc.com and on twitter at www.twitter.com/MyCarDoc Thanks!

My Car Doc: Auto 101 tip: Rotating Tires

I know, I know, you’re tired of hearing about rotating your tires. It’s like the dentist constantly telling you about flossing, right? We all know that rotating your tires makes them wear more evenly, making them last longer. But here’s what you might not have known: 

A GOOD mechanic will also inspect and clean your brake systems while he has your tires off. One of the biggest reasons many brake repairs cost so much is because the brakes weren’t maintained and checked out on a regular basis. Brake inspections can help prevent brake rotor wear, brake hose failure and a build up of brake dust.

This has been another Auto 101 tip from My Car Doc. Find us online at www.MyCarDoc.com or on twitter @MyCarDoc. Thanks!