Once a year we take our bodies to our primary care physician to make sure we are still healthy. We are prodded and poked and looked over from head to toe. They take some of our fluids and test them to make sure there are no surprises. Sometimes we are hooked up to machines to see what is going on inside. If we have noticed any weird lumps, bumps, squeaks or rattles, now is the time to ask questions. It is best to find out ASAP what is going wrong so that it can be righted before it becomes critical to our health and well being.

Like our bodies, our automobiles need to be looked at on a regular basis to make sure that everything is safe and sound. Like the physician, the auto technician prods and pokes, hooks your car up to machines, checks out the fluids, and checks out any weird lumps, bumps, squeaks and rattles. Just like our bodies, if problems are found sooner than later, accidents are prevented, and fixes are cheaper.

Vehicles are misdiagnosed all the time and it is not always the shop’s fault. Technicians are not psychics. They need you to communicate to them what seems wrong with the car. The secret to saving the shop and yourself time, money and aggravation is to clearly explain the symptoms of any problems and when they occur.

To help you be able to describe the symptoms, use your five senses:

Sight: Are any of the fluids leaking? Note where the leak is coming from – front left, front right, middle, rear left, rear right- and what color it is.  Are there any warning lights on in the dashboard of your car? Note which light it is.

Smell: Describe the smell as best you can. Burning rubber, rotten eggs, mildew, gas? Do you smell it inside or outside? Do you smell it before you start the engine, while driving, or after you turn it off?

Hearing: Click click, sputtttterrrr,  rumble rumble, roooaaar, ping ping, squeeaal. If you’re not shy, the best way to describe a noise, is to make it yourself for the service advisor to hear.  You also want to point out where it was coming from, what the driving conditions were, and how often it was made. Nothing is worse than having the shop diagnose a noise and fix it only to find out later they fixed a different noise. Yes, this has happened! This is why at my shop we try to always put the client in the car with one of us to point out what noise they are talking about. Don’t be afraid to ask your service advisor to take a ride with you. Then they will have all the information needed to start diagnosing the right problem.

Taste: OK, you don’t really want to taste anything on your car, in your car, or anything coming out of your car. But you could get lots of brownie points if you brought along a plate of cookies for the staff to taste while they are working on your car.

Touch: Describe anything that feels different. For example: The brake pedal sinks down after the car has come to a stop, the steering wheel shakes at high speeds, the car sputters going up hills.

Like anything else in life, it all comes down to Communication!

The better you can communicate to your technician, the better the whole experience will be. Not only do you need to communicate what is going on with your vehicle,
but it’s imperative that you leave contact information so they can get a hold of you quickly and easily. For the technician, repairing your car can be a five-step process.

1- Diagnose the problem.

2- Estimate the repair.

3- Get approval from the client.

4- Order parts if needed.

5- Do the repair work.

Once it’s your turn, we need to be available to discuss the problem and solution and get approval for the work to be completed. If you’re not around, your car will be pushed aside until we find the time to put you back into the line up.

When you get “the call” regarding what the problem is, don’t be afraid to keep asking questions until you understand what is wrong, what needs to happen to make it right, how long it will take, and how much it will cost.

Just like going to the Doctors for an annual exam, Auto Craftsmen checks over your car ever time it comes in to make sure it will be safe and reliable!

I’m putting on my Women’s Board Hat when I tell you that it’s National Car Care Month & time to get your vehicle ready for winter.

Winterizing your car is essential to getting through a Vermont winter
with no problems!

Here a the 8 Steps to Getting Your Car Ready for Winter.

1. Clean your vehicle inside and out. Getting your vehicle washed and waxed helps protect the paint surfaces from snowy bombardments, and it will also make snow and ice easier to brush off. 
Since you will be sitting in your car with the windows up for the next six months do yourself a favor and give your car a thorough cleaning ASAP. To prevent that stale air / locker room smell, consider replacing your cabin air filter. It’s also a great idea to take out your carpeted floor mats and replace them with a set of water-resistant rubber mats.

2. Make sure you can see. A winter storm is the worst possible time to run out of windshield washer fluid or to discover your blades aren’t clearing the windshield properly. Wiper blades usually last for about six months. Since visibility is a key ingredient to safety, so be sure to invest in some new ones if needed. Make sure the washer fluid is good to -20 F. Never use plain water. It will freeze all over your windshield.

3. Ensure that your heating system is functioning properly. While a functioning heater and defroster are necessary to keep the windshield nice and clear, they also offer you shelter from the cold. Trust me; you do not want to drive a cold car in the months to come. Also check that the rear window defroster is working.

4. Tires: Need I remind you that the tire is the only part of your automobile that touches the ground? Having good winter tires on your car is the most  important thing you can do to insure the next six months of worry free winter driving. The condition of your car’s tires is critical during the winter. Braking, acceleration and handling are all impacted while driving on slippery roads. Give yourself an edge with great winter tires!

5. Give your battery a little TLC. A battery gives little notice before it dies, and very cold temperatures can reduce a vehicle’s battery power by up to 50 percent.  PLUS you tend to load the battery in the winter having the defroster / lights / radio / phone or ipod all on at the same time. If your vehicle battery is older than three years, have the battery tested when you take your car in to get your winter tires put on.

6. Belts and hoses. While they are testing your battery, make sure they inspect the belts and hoses for wear and tear — even if you’re driving a newer car. The belts and hoses in modern cars lead long lives, but that doesn’t mean they don’t die. Cold weather can do a number on belts and hoses, so they deserve attention too.

7. Get the antifreeze mixture just right. The ideal mixture of antifreeze (coolant) and water inside your vehicle’s radiator is 50/50.  Antifreeze is very important to your engine. It cools the car’s engine, protects it from freezing in the cold weather and is the key agent in providing heat inside the car that keeps your toes warm. ALSO: Have the PH of the coolant tested after three years. The coolant starts out alkaline ph and over time turns acidic which can damage to the system.

8. Prepare an emergency kit. Even the most meticulously maintained vehicle can get stuck in a snow bank. That’s when it pays to be prepared for an emergency with a well stocked emergency kit.

Be prepared for the next six months by winterizing your car.
This will help you avoid the aggravation of breaking down on a snowy, frigid day and save you money in the long run.
Check out the GREAT Special we are running this month that will make sure your car is ready for winter & that saves you a ton of money!

Driving a Hybrid Vehicle in Vermont
causes unique problems,
which are not explained in the owner’s manual.

*Cabin Air Filter: If the cabin air filter is clogged in a hybrid, the high voltage battery is cooled less.
This takes life out of the big expensive battery and reduces the car’s power and fuel economy.

And, just like a plugged vacuum cleaner, a cabin air filter with restricted air flow can’t suck up the dirt.

old pads and new pads

*Brakes: Hybrid vehicles have a regenerative braking system.
This means that the conventional brakes only work when going 5 mph or less.

Vermont has an excess of moisture and salt on our roads that cause brakes to rust and because the conventional brakes don’t get used much, they never build up the heat that helps to burn off the rust.
Many Vermont hybrid owners are driving around with the brakes stuck on all the time, which causes the car to drag and burn more fuel to go the same distance.

1. I recommend you have a brakes service that cleans and adjusts them every 30,000 miles.
2. You should also wash the brake area on a regular basis to keep off the salt. This is much cheaper than having to replace the brakes from lack of use and neglect.

*Air Conditioning: It is imperative that the A/C on your hybrid is serviced on a regular basis. The A/C is ducted back from the heater box. It cools the expensive, high voltage battery in the summer and heats it in the winter.

BUT, because the air conditioning compressor in hybrids takes special oil that is electrically non-conductive, you need to take it to the dealer or to a shop that has a dedicated A/C machine that only uses the hybrid special oil. If the wrong oil is used it will cause a high voltage ground fault and fry the A/C system. Ouch!

*Small Regular Battery: Basically the hybrids small battery’s job is to turn on the big battery. Then the big battery or electric motor powers the car, slows the car down and recharges itself.

When you need to replace the small battery make sure you get the correct one. Many hybrids take a special glass mat battery.

Hybrids are quirky and have special needs even for something as simple as an oil change or brake repair.
More than 90% of hybrid repairs and service don’t need to be done at the Dealer.
You can save money by going to an independent shop whose technicians are hybrid trained.

Safe and Happy Motoring,

Amy Mattinat
Owner: www.AutoCraftsmen.comAuthor: How To Buy A Great Used Car
Automotive Expert Advisor on www.AskPatty.com
Join me: www.facebook.com/autocraftsmen

Do you own a car? Is it registered in Vermont? Did you know that Vermont requires you to take your vehicle to a State Licensed Inspection Station once a year for a safety and emissions inspection?

Interestingly this is not a national requirement. Each state government is free to decide whether to require a safety inspection as well as the specifics of what the requirements are to pass that state’s inspection.

In 1990 Congress passed federal vehicle emissions regulations called The Clean Air Act. States were told to implement vehicle emissions testing programs to make sure vehicles are in compliance with the EPA standard, but again, programs vary from state to state, region, and even by metropolitan areas.

Some states have state-operated garages that only do inspections. Other states, including Vermont, have the inspections done by licensed repair shops and dealership service departments.

Only about 18 states still have mandatory vehicle inspections. The states that have no inspection claim that the mandatory inspections are not a cost-effective way to improve road-traffic safety. From experience, I would disagree. Every week I see vehicles that come into my shop that are unsafe to drive. They are old, rusting away, leaking brake fluid, gasoline, exhaust fumes and have broken steering and suspension parts, worn out brakes, let alone worn out windshield wipers and lights out. If it was not for the mandatory state inspection that forces folks to repair or retire these vehicles, folks would keep driving them. This not only endangers the driver and passengers, but it also endangers other vehicles that they share the road with.

If your vehicle fails its state inspection, you have options. You can have the inspection station repair your vehicle, take it to another shop to be repaired, or even take it home and do it yourself. It also does not matter where the replacement parts come from as long as it will fix the problem. Most of the time this means you need to purchase a new part, but sometimes you can go online or to a junkyard to find a used part.

Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles gives each inspection station a detailed manual (approx. 300 pages) of what constitutes a pass or fail. Even with this book in hand, the biggest problem I see with Vermont’s inspection system is that it’s open to interpretation.

One shop may fail a vehicle for something another shop may pass. Each shop may honestly feel they are correct because there are ‘grey areas’ where the state of Vermont has not given enough information for the shop to make an accurate judgment.

Brakes are the biggest ‘GREY AREA’. Last year shops were not allowed to remove any wheels to do a brake inspection. The brakes could be worn out 95%, but if they stopped the vehicle at that moment, it passed. Beginning this year, one wheel must be removed and the brakes inspected. AND if on the road test, the inspector detects or suspects a problem with one or more of the brakes; all four wheels must be removed and inspected. So now there is a new problem. The inspector can’t really give an accurate brake diagnosis by just taking off the wheel. To make an accurate diagnosis the brakes need to be taken apart and the state does not allow the inspector to take the brakes apart. So, if you get a phone call asking for permission to take your brakes apart – this is why.

What else you should know about Vermont’s annual vehicle safety inspection:

• Vermont Inspection stations are allowed to charge an hourly rate or a flat fee. In either case they are required to post how much they charge beside their official inspection station certificate.
• The inspection stickers itself costs the shop $4.00
• Stickers are always an even number. So if you have #2 on your windshield, you have from Jan. 1^st to Feb 28^th to get your vehicle inspected.
• There are seventy five things inspectors need to check on your vehicle for the official Vermont State Vehicle Inspection sheet.
• This year the state has added ‘worn, frayed or cracked belts’ to the “don’t pass” inspection list.
• You need to show the inspection station proof of car registration & proof of car insurance to get your car inspected.
• No items are allowed to be hanging from the rearview mirror – so take off your fuzzy dice before you take your rig in for its annual state inspection!
• Vermont does not require a smog check per se, but 1996 and newer vehicles include an on-board diagnostics (OBDII) inspection.
• If you have a vehicle newly registered in Vermont the state gives you 10 days to get the vehicle inspected.
• To get a copy of the Vermont State Vehicle Inspection sheet, go online to: dmv.vermont.gov/sites/dmv/files/pdf/DMV-Inspection_Guide.pdf

Whether you think having a mandatory state safety inspection is smart or stupid, it is the law and if you get caught with an expired sticker on your windshield it is a $99.00 fine.

Safe and Happy Motoring,

Amy Mattinat
Owner: www.AutoCraftsmen.com
Author: How To Buy A Great Used Car
Automotive Expert Advisor on www.AskPatty.com
Join me: www.facebook.com/autocraftsmen

Gasoline prices are on the rise again. With political turmoil and natural disasters happening all over the world, I don’t see the price of gasoline dropping in the near future, if ever again. You may not have control of increased fuel prices, but you do have control of getting better fuel mileage on your existing vehicle.

By following these steps, you can add miles to every gallon with your coupe, sedan, wagon, SUV, minivan, pickup truck, or hybrid. (More on hybrids below).

1. Slow Down! Each mph driven over 60 will cost an additional 10 cents per gallon. Rapid acceleration and hard braking can lower your gas mileage by 33% on the highway and 5% in the city driving
2. Avoid excessive idling! You get zero miles per gallon when the car it just sitting there idling away (unless you drive a hybrid).
3. Minimize air conditioning! In city driving, using the air conditioner in hot weather can increase your fuel consumption more than 20%.
4. Are you in alignment? Properly aligned wheels will reduce tire wear, give you better gas mileage, and improve the handling.
5. One-stop shopping! Plan your shopping so you can do all your errands in one day. Park the car in a central location and walk between destinations. Several short stop and go errands can use twice as much fuel than a longer multipurpose trip covering the same distance.
6. Don’t delay your vehicle’s tune-up: A well maintained, tuned-up car may improve gas mileage by about 4 %, which saves you fuel and money, and reduces long-term maintenance costs. There are also many sensors that help keep the engine running smoothly and efficiently. Replacing a failed oxygen sensor could improve your gas mileage by as much as 40%.
7. Travel Lightt. Using a roof rack or a carrier decreases fuel efficiency by 5%. Unnecessary items in your trunk that weigh over 100 pounds also reduce an automobile’s fuel efficiency by 1 to 2%. It’s like jogging by yourself versus jogging with a toddler on your back. It takes more time to go the same distance.
8. Remember to check your tires for proper inflation! Check your owner’s manual for the correct tire pressure. Low air pressure creates more rolling resistance and burns more fuel. You also get faster tread wear if the air pressure is too low. Some hybrids use two pounds more in the front tires than rear.

1. Is your air filter dirty? The engine air filter is very small and gets dirty quickly. The engine is basically a giant air pump that sucks air through the air filter into the combustion chamber and pushes it out the exhaust. So when the filter is clogged, the engine is inefficient & burns more fuel.

Safe and Happy Motoring,

Amy Mattinat

Owner: www.AutoCraftsmen.com

Author: How To Buy A Great Used Car

Automotive Expert Advisor on www.AskPatty.com

Join me: www.facebook.com/autocraftsmen

Winterizing your car is essential to surviving Vermont’s frigid winters. Make sure you can rely on your car to transport you and your family safely in any weather conditions Old Man Winter can throw your way. Why take the risk? Be proactive! Make sure your car is mechanically sound before the temperature dips and the snow starts falling.

9 Steps to Getting You and Your Car Ready for Winter.

1. Clean your vehicle inside and out. Have body of your vehicle washed and waxed. This preventative measure will protect the paint surfaces from snowy bombardments, and it will also make snow and ice easier to brush off. 

Since you will be sitting in your car with the windows up and the heat on for the next six months do yourself a favor and give your car a thorough cleaning ASAP. Remove any debris that has collected over the summer, and vacuum the seats and floor. Dust the dash, wash the windows and clean the upholstery. To prevent that stale air / locker room smell, consider replacing your cabin air filter and then hang up an organic air-freshener.   It’s also a great idea to take out your carpeted floor mats and replace them with a set of water-resistant vinyl or rubber mats.

2. Make sure you can see. A winter storm is the worst possible time to run out of windshield washer fluid or to discover your blades aren’t clearing the windshield properly. Wiper blades usually last for about six months. Since visibility is a key ingredient to safety, so be sure to invest in some new ones if needed. Make sure the washer fluid is good to -20 F. Never use plain water. It will freeze all over your windshield.

3. Ensuring that your heating system is functioning properly should be a top priority. While a functioning heater and defroster are necessary to keep the windshield nice and clear, they also offer you shelter from the cold. Trust me; you do not want to be trapped in a cold car in the months to come. Also check that the rear window defroster is working.

4. Give your battery a little TLC. A battery gives little notice before it dies, and very cold temperatures can reduce a vehicle’s battery power by up to 50 percent. If your vehicle battery is older than three years, have the battery tested when you take your car in to get your winter tires put on. Also have them check that the battery posts and connections are free of corrosion. No one wants to be stranded with a dead battery in the bitter cold!

5. Belts and hoses. While they are testing your battery, make sure they inspect the belts and hoses for wear and tear — even if you’re driving a newer car. The belts and hoses in modern cars lead long lives, but that doesn’t mean they don’t die. Cold weather can do a number on belts and hoses, so they deserve attention too.

6. Tires: Need I remind you that the tire is the only part of your automobile that touches the ground? Having good winter tires on your car is the most important thing you can do to insure the next six months of worry free winter driving. The condition of your car’s tires is critical during the winter. Braking, acceleration and handling are all impacted while driving on slippery roads. Give yourself an edge with great winter tires!

Tire pressure is also important during the winter. Since traction is compromised due to wet or snowy conditions, it is critical to have properly inflated tires. Please remember that with lower temperatures, the air pressure in a cold tire will drop. Why? Because air is a gas, and gas contracts when it gets cold and expands with heat. Plus, having full and balanced tires can save you 2-3 miles per gallon of gas, that’s extra money in your pocket!

7. Get the antifreeze mixture just right. The ideal mixture of antifreeze (coolant) and water inside your vehicle’s radiator is 50/50.  This will prevent the mixture from freezing in those ridiculously cold temperatures that occur every winter in Vermont. Antifreeze is very important to your engine. It cools the car’s engine, protects it from freezing in the cold weather and is the key agent in providing heat inside the car.

8. Prepare an emergency kit. Even the most meticulously maintained vehicle can develop problems on the road, especially during the winter. That’s when it pays to be prepared for an emergency.

Your Winter Survival Kit Should Include:

• A spare tire with air in it
• Extra windshield washer fluid and paper towels
• Tire-changing equipment
• A bag of abrasive material such as sand, salt or non-clumping kitty litter, which can provide additional traction if a tire gets stuck in snow.
• A flashlight, flares and a first-aid kit.
• Jumper cables, a tool kit and tire chains.
• Blanket and extra warm clothes (scarves, gloves, hats, boots)
• Contact information of people to be called in case of an emergency
• A snow brush with an aggressive ice scraper and snow shovel.
• High protein, non-perishable foods such as protein bars, nuts, raisins, and water.
• All-weather power source that will permit you to jumpstart your vehicle without another vehicle. That can be comforting if you’re by yourself.

DON’T BE THIS PERSON?

Her auto technician told her 3xs that she should get the timing belt changed on her 2002 PT Cruiser.

But she kept putting it off – because she did not want to spend the money.

While driving to work – the timing belt broke… and because this vehicle has an interference engine, the engine is probably toast. The vehicle got towed to Auto Craftsmen.

The only way to find out if the engine survived is to put a new timing belt on the engine (approx. a five hour job). It is will either be OK – or not Ok – It’s about a $500 gamble!  So Sad!

Here in Vermont we have a fairly short season of hot and humid weather. Mostly we can get by rolling down our windows and letting fresh air in to keep us comfortable. But on those wicked hot days most of us really appreciate having the air condition working in our cars to keep us cool.

Trying to explain how the air conditioning system of your car works is not an easy task. This is because it’s fairly complicated and counter-intuitive.

Basically, when you push the A/C button in your car, you are starting a chain reaction that removes the heat from inside your vehicle and transfers that heat to the outside air. Once all the hot air and humidity has been removed the air becomes cooler. It can be a real ahhhhhhhhhhhh moment once the hot air is removed & you’re left with cool refreshing air.

Here is a more technical explanation of how your Air Conditioning works is from Edmunds.com:

There are six basic components in the A/C System:  compressor, condenser, receiver-drier, expansion valve, the evaporator and the life-blood of the A/C system, the refrigerant.

Step One: The compressor is the power unit of the A/C system. It is powered by a drive belt connected to the  engine’s crankshaft. When the A/C system is turned on, the compressor pumps out refrigerant vapor under high pressure and high heat to the condenser.

Step Two: The condenser is a device used to change the high-pressure refrigerant vapor to a liquid. It is mounted ahead of the engine’s radiator, and it looks very similar to a radiator with its parallel tubing and tiny cooling fins. If you look through the grille of a car and see what you think is a radiator, it is most likely the condenser. As the car moves, air flowing through the condenser removes heat from the refrigerant, changing it to a liquid state.

Step Three: Refrigerant moves to the receiver-drier. This is the storage tank for the liquid refrigerant. It also removes moisture from the refrigerant. Moisture in the system can freeze and then act similarly to cholesterol in the human blood stream, causing blockage.

Step Four: As the compressor continues to pressurize the system, liquid refrigerant under high pressure is circulated from the receiver-drier to the thermostatic expansion valve. The valve removes pressure from the liquid refrigerant so that it can expand and become refrigerant vapor in the evaporator.

Step Five: The evaporator is very similar to the condenser. It consists of tubes and fins and is usually mounted inside the passenger compartment. As the cold low-pressure refrigerant is released into the evaporator, it vaporizes and absorbs heat from the air in the passenger compartment. As the heat is absorbed, cool air will be available for the occupants of the vehicle. A blower fan inside the passenger compartment helps to distribute the cooler air.

Step Six: The heat-laden, low-pressure refrigerant vapor is then drawn into the compressor to start another refrigeration cycle

If your car has an A/C problem, it is pretty much one of two things: No cool air or insufficient cool air.

No Cool Air

• Loose or broken drive belt
• Inoperative compressor or slipping compressor clutch
• Defective expansion valve
• Clogged expansion valve, receiver-drier or liquid refrigerant line
• Blown fuse
• Leaking component: any of the parts listed above or one of the A/C lines, hoses or seals

Insufficient Cool Air

• Low refrigerant charge
• Loose drive belt
• Slipping compressor clutch
• Clogged condenser
• Clogged evaporator
• Slow leak in system
• Partially clogged filter or expansion valve

I hope Edmunds.com’s explanation is helpful.

If your car’s air conditioning is not blowing cool enough or not at all, make an appointment with Auto Craftsmen and we will make it blow cold or figure out why it’s not working.

Call 223-2253 or email: service@autocraftsmen.com

Check Engine Light:
Why does it come on, what to do, and what happens if you ignore it?

You’re driving to work, taking the kids to a ballgame, or running a routine errand… and then you see it – the Check Engine Light turns on. Ugh. For many people, the sight of a Check Engine Light triggers visions of a costly repair bill and a sense of worry, since most folks don’t really know what it means.

The Check Engine Light turns on when your vehicle’s computer (which monitors your vehicle’s performance) finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t correct. There are hundreds of sensors in your car, any of which can send a signal to your car’s computer telling it that something isn’t quite right.

In your owner’s manual, there will be a section with recommendations on what to do if the Check Engine Light comes on for your car that will give you a better idea of what to expect.

A common question I hear is: how long can I wait to take my car in when that Check Engine light comes on?
My standard answer is:

• If there are no drivability problems then you can keep driving and bring it to your automotive service provider to get the computer scanned in the next couple of days.

• But, if the check engine light starts flashing or your vehicle is having drivability problems (stalling, hard to start, slow to accelerate, black smoke coming out the back, etc.) you should immediately pull off the road, turn off the engine & have the vehicle towed in for repairs.

• If you continue driving when the light is flashing or the vehicle is having drivability issues, you can do catastrophic damage which could require an expensive repair. The longer you drive, the more expensive it becomes.

If you do have your vehicle towed, be sure to take it to your dealer if you’re under warranty. Engine work done by a shop other than your dealer can void your warranty.

In short, don’t panic if the Check Engine Light comes on. The Check Engine Light is really your friend. The car’s computer is working hard monitoring your car’s engine and making adjustments so you can jump in your car and rush off to where ever you need to be without a thought to your car’s performance. So, if that light comes on to tell you there is a problem, don’t ignore it.

Today’s cars are very complex. If the battery of your car dies – you want to be very careful how you get it started up. Here are 4 different ways you can charge the battery to get your car rolling down the road again.

1.  Slowly charge the battery by using a battery charger.

2. Use a booster pack to jump the battery.

3. Call an expert mobile service to jump the battery.

4. If you must use jumper cables then I highly suggest you invest in MICHELIN’S Smart Jumper Cables™.

If you hook up ordinary jumper cables incorrectly it can result in sparking or shorting which could seriously hurt you. This could also produce a power surge that could kill your car’s expensive electrical system. I like to call modern cars – Computers on Wheels. And we all know that computers hate power surges.

This is why I highly recommend  MICHELIN’S new Smart Jumper Cables ™. These idiot proof jumper cables eliminate the guesswork of how to hook them up the right way.

*They cost only $40.00 at auto supply retailers.

*The cable clamps can attach to either the positive or negative connections. How cool is that!

*They have these LED indicators that light up to tell you that the cables are hooked up right and you’re ready to start the cars and jump the battery.

*The textured grips make them easy to handle, especially in cold weather.

*The heavy-duty cable with insulated clamps stays flexible, tangle free, even in the winter’s cold.

Why does a battery die?

*You left something on or connected in the car that drained all the energy from your battery.

*The vehicle has a bad alternator.

*The serpentine belt is bad.

*The battery is old. They only last about 3-5 years.

*You got a defective battery and need to return it for a good one.

*You leave the car idling all the time or you drive the car on short trips not allowing the battery to recharge – so you wore out the battery before its time.

*Your battery is not strong enough for all the add-ons like monster stereo systems etc. that you have had installed.

*The battery has dirty connector/terminals.

*The vehicle has a bad computer.

*The battery was damaged in an accident.

Getting Prepared to Use Jumper Cables!

*** Read your owners manual*** It will give you information you need, like – where the battery is located. Some vehicles have the battery under the hood, some behind the cab, under the seat or even in the trunk. ALSO, find out if there is an   anti-theft system. Some alarms will activate whenever the battery is low or disconnected. That would be very annoying!

VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure that both the dead battery and the rescue battery have the “same” voltage. Car batteries are usually 12 Volts. Trucks may operate on a 24 volt system. Do not attach 12V to 24V.

DANGER! Never jump a battery that is frozen or has insufficient battery acid in it.

*Wear eye protection. Wear gloves.

*Make sure both cars are close enough for cables to reach BUT the cars are NOT touching.

*Set an auto transmission vehicle in “Park” position.

*Set a manual (5 speed) transmission in “neutral”.

*Set the emergency brake on both cars.

*Turn off the headlights, wipers, radios, and all accessories on both cars.

*Unplug anything that is connected to the cigarette lighter.

*Leave on the emergency flashers if needed.

*Turn off both cars’ engines.

*Open the hood of each of the cars and secure them.

Jumping a Battery using MICHELIN Smart Cables™

1.Connect one set of clamps to the assisting vehicle’s  battery.   Put one clamp to each battery  terminal – polarity doesn’t matter

2. Then go to the disabled vehicle: Connect the first clamp to the Positive Battery Terminal (red). The other clamp is attached to some metal on the dead vehicle’s engine block or frame. Painted, oily, or rusted metal will not work. Nuts, bolts, or other protruding shiny metal is best.

3. Both green indicator lights should be lit on the MICHELIN Smart Cables Center Module. If not – re-adjust the clamps until they do. If the green LED lights still do not glow after you have firmly connected the clamps, then your battery  is damaged, completely drained or has less than the 6 residual volts required for boosting. Don’t try to jump  this battery – you could do damage to your car or the  assisting vehicle. Time to call the tow truck!

4. Start the assisting vehicle and let it idle at least 1 minute.

5. Then start the disabled car’s engine. Chances are that if there aren’t any other problems, the car will start easily.

6. Once the disabled vehicle is running, disconnect the clamp attached to the engine block first, then disconnect the remaining clamps in any order.

How is that for EASY!

Please Note:

If the vehicle does not start after cranking for 30 seconds. STOP! Call a tow truck!

Once you get your car running, drive it somewhere safe and secure before shutting off the engine. You will want to get the battery tested to see its  condition, starting and charging voltage. If it was really dead, then you should have it slowly and completely charged using a battery charger.