Hi Austin,

I read your article about what to do if you are in a car accident. In December 2010 I was hit by a car as a pedestrian going 50 miles an hour. It started with life support and now a year and a half later am fortunate enough to be walking with just a cane. I was initially rear-ended by another car. It was raining cats and dogs and very very dark outside.

The lady who hit me did not get out of her car to come to me, so I went to her. She had hit me so hard that her door was jammed close. As I turned to go back to my car I was hit by the other car, which 50 miles/hr was the speed limit. My sister, who is a paralegal, told me that I should never get out of any car when there is a car accident, no matter how small it is.

Call the police first, wait for them to arrive to stabilize the traffic situation and then when they say so, get out of the car. Is this true? It is obvious she is talking about my situation and if I had followed that rule, I would have never been struck by the other car. I just want to get your take on this. I am hoping that this does not take up to much of your time.

Thank you for reading my email, and taking the time to respond.

Hi There
Man, so sorry to hear about your accident, how fortunate you are starting to recover, my prayers go out to you.I am not if there really is a “correct” answer here.

About 20 years ago I was in a small accident on a dark unlit county road. I was unable to move either vehicle so we left them both in the street under the traffic light and stood well away from them until help arrived.

Another vehicle came speeding down the road and plowed into my vehicle at full speed. I might had been killed or seriously injured had I been inside the vehicle. I was always told to get out and get away from the vehicle if you are able. It paid off in my situation.

Blessings
Austin Davis

My 1995 Nissan Pathfinder automatic transmission will not go in reverse but will go forward.
please advice
thanks Hector

Hi there Hector

If the automatic transmission fluid is full, and the linkage under the vehicle to the transmission is properly in place I can only assume there is an internal transmission problem.

Usually reverse gear is the first gear to stop working or becomes slow to work when there is excessive internal wear inside the transmission. Removing and opening up the transmission for inspection is probably next on the to do list.

There is no “magic bullet” additive you can pour into the transmission fluid at this stage in the game…the damage is already done. Changing the transmission fluid could actually make things worse.

Changing the fluid and adding new SLICK fluid now, might do more harm than good. The old gritty fluid is acting like liquid sand paper inside the transmission and is actually helping to give some friction to those internally worn parts. The new fluid is slick and grit free, and might cause the transmission to not pull the vehicle at all.

If you have more than 100,000 miles I would be prepared to overhaul this transmission completely….so be prepared for sticker shock

Blessings
Austin Davis

Some common complaints when the throttle body is dirty and needs to be cleaned are:

1. Rough idle speed – shaking or trying to die when the vehicle is at idle

2. Slower starts – the engine seems to start and die or turns over longer than normal

3. Erratic idle speeds – idle speed seem to surge up and down or when you turn the A/C on the idle speed is too low and the engine dies

4. Decrease in fuel mileage

Just about any auto mechanic or oil change mechanic can do this for you, or you can buy a small steel brush and a can of Throttle body cleaner from your local auto parts store and do it yourself.

I would recommend you clean the throttle body about every 30,000 miles as part of your regular scheduled maintenance program.

If you have never had the throttle body in your vehicle cleaned, I would bet you would see and feel a huge difference in the smoothness of the idle speed as well as quicker starting time.

Here is a short video of us cleaning the throttle body on my truck

Facebook like and Google+1 greatly appreciated

How to clean a dirty throttle body

Thank you to Walter Jones and Christian Brothers Automotive center

You might have a regular mechanic that you know and trust and can rely upon in a time of need. You might have a regular oil change place that you use and recommend to others who ask where you get your oil changed in your car.  But, do you have a body shop and wrecker service already programmed on your cell phone that you can count on 24 hours a day to help you?

Being a storage lot and wrecker service owner I have seen MANY car accidents and the havoc it plays on the lives of the accident victims.  I can honestly say I have never met anyone who was “prepared” to have a car accident.  Who would be?

From my personal experience car accidents seem to take place at the worst possible time.  The worst possible time of day and night, times of bad weather and times when the driver had something really important to attend to or was supposed to be somewhere at a particular time.  In summary, a car accident is most likely to occur when you least expect it or when you are at your worst to deal with it.

I would like to offer you some suggestions that if the event should ever happen to you.  It might alleviate some of the stress and anxiety associated with a car accident or just an unexpected break down on the side of the road.

1. Find an auto body repair shop NOW even though you don’t need one now.  Go visit their shop, ask for a tour of their facility and ask to see a work in progress vehicle and a finished vehicle to inspect their workmanship.  I loved giving tours of our shop because I knew that potential customer was going to brag about me and my shop to his friends and family…thus more potential customers for me.

Get their contact information, wrecker driver cell phone numbers and after hours phone numbers and leave them in your glove box AND your cell phone.  Make sure you have the physical address you can give to any wrecker driver if their driver is unavailable and you have to leave your car at the scene of the accident.

Make sure you tell the police officer you already have a body shop picked out and want your vehicle towed there. I say this, because you might have to be transported to a hospital and the last thing you want to worry about is where your car was taken.

2. Carry a working good flashlight in your vehicle and check it yearly.  The battery and all lights from your vehicle could be disabled from the accident and you will be thankful you have a light with you to help other people and to warn any other motor vehicle traffic on the road.

3.  Have a camera with you. There is a good chance you will need to work with a police officer and an insurance company to determine who was at fault and whose insurance will pay the claim.  Take as many pictures (or video) of the scene as you can.  I have a disposable camera in my vehicles just for this purpose.

Are there skid marks on the road surface?  Do you see beer cans in the other vehicle? Is there a traffic light or stop sign?  Who was driving the other vehicle? The angle of both vehicles as well as the point of impact on both vehicles will really help you deal with an insurance company that is trying to deny a claim…or worse, they are trying to sue you!

4. Do you have any water with you? I like to keep a gallon container (an antifreeze bottle works great) of just plain tap water with me in my vehicle.  The water can be used to refill an overheated radiator, wash a wound from a  accident until help arrives, I can drink it if I am thirsty, or can be dumped out and the bottle can be used to transport gasoline if I ran out of gas.

I also like to carry a clean towel or clean rags with me. They can be used to stop bleeding and to clean your hands and face. With most car accidents there is a large amount of sharp glass that gets thrown about inside and outside of the vehicle.

How Do you Find an Auto  Body Shop?

1. Contact your auto insurance agent for a recommendation of body shops in your area, then go and visit them in person for your walk through tour.  Your insurance company will be the one paying the shop, so I would want to use a shop that my insurance has a good working relationship with.  Doing this will also help you if there is ever a warranty issue later on down the road, since you took the vehicle to your insurance approved shop your insurance will intervene for you if needed.

2. Ask your friend and neighbors for recommendations – there is an old saying “you will tell 1-2 people about good service you receive but you will tell everyone you know when you get bad service”.  You might not get a recommendation from friends, but you will know which shops to avoid.

You might only have to deal with a body shop once in your life, and the shop knows it as well.  So there can be, ummm let’s say, no real urgency from the repair shop to go out of their way to make your experience as pleasant as possible.

3. Talk to your regular auto mechanic for recommendations. People in the industry have a gut feeling about their competitors and others in the industry. Again, even if you only hear about the “bad” shops that they would not recommend it would be worth your time in asking.

4. Don’t assume the dealership is the best place for your vehicle. The main emphasis of a new car dealer is to sell you a new car!  There are many really good dealerships that run great customer service operations but don’t just assume because they are a dealership that you will get better service or better quality of workmanship from them. I have seen the work of many dealerships, and it was substandard at best.

Dealerships also deal in much higher volume of repairs than that of  some local mom and pop type of repair shops. So you might just be another “number” to them waiting for your car to be repaired like the other 50 cars waiting to be repaired.

Other suggestions that will prove to be helpful

1. Do you have rental car allowance coverage on your car insurance policy? It is not uncommon for a repair to take 30 days from start to finish. Can you do without a vehicle for that long? Rental car allowance is pretty cheap and will be very handy if the need arises.  Tell your repair shop up front you have 30 days of coverage, and if it takes longer to repair than 30 days the SHOP will reimburse you for the additional rental car expenses.

2. After hours storage access – make sure that if your vehicle is towed to a body shop after hours that someone will be there with the wrecker driver to let them and your car into the building or a locked and protected storage lot until the insurance adjuster or you are able to get there. Your vehicle should also be “preserved” with plastic over all broken windows to keep out rain.

Storage lots charge a “preservation fee” which is the time and expense they took to protect the inside of your vehicle while it was in their custody. Your insurance company will pay them this fee, but you should make sure it was actually done.

3. Remove all personal belongings that have value before your vehicle gets removed from the accident scene.  I have been in this business long enough to know what you left behind at the scene might not be there later on.  Once the accident happens, there will be many people looking in and getting inside your vehicle to do their job.  You can’t control human nature, but you can remove the temptation.

4. Be calm and let the system do it’s job.  You or a loved one (or the other driver) might be injured and need immediate medical attention. Stay calm, do not do anything that might get you into  trouble later on. Be careful about moving anyone until professional medical attention arrives unless there is immediate danger in the present condition of that person.

The police, tow truck drivers and medical persons see these accident scenes all day long and they know what to do. You are not any different than the last accident they just attended to so screaming for attention or yelling at them will not get you anywhere…and might actually make things worse for you.

Everything you say and do will most likely be videoed by a police vehicle camera and a microphone on the police officer will record what you say.  I am not a lawyer or giving legal advice, but if you are uncertain of something it might be better to remain quiet until you are certain about what you are going to say.

I know that visiting an auto body repair shop and talking with a wrecker driver was not on your list of things to do this week, but I hope you give real consideration to what I have said. It just might come in real handy one day when you least expect it.

If you have anything to add, please leave a comment below.  Also, please share with Facebook friends and Google +1 if you don’t mind using the buttons at the top of the post. Thank you!

Blessings,

Austin Davis

Hi There.

I would appreciate and value your help. A little background. I have bee taking my vehicle to a Meineke shop in London, Ontario. Until recently. I was satisfied with the service given to me and trusted their advice. About 2 months ago, I came back from vacation and realizes that me front spring on the driver’s side of my FWD 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe, with 127 000 Km’s, had broken (while parked!) This also cut my brand new tire and brake line. In the end the final bill was $2040.00. I was told by the mechanic, that the spring failure was cause by worn struts.

The Meineke shop has been servicing my vehicle since I had approximately 100 000 Km’s on it and I have been in for approximately 6 services, ranging anywhere from oil changes, tune-ups, brakes, etc. In fact, the front brakes are the last thing that had been done before the spring failure (about 5 months before). Every time I bring my vehicle for even minor service, they are suppose to inspect my vehicle for any possible problems.

I have trouble believing that when they did the brake work that my struts were in perfect condition and 5 months later, they are so bad that they caused a spring failure! When talking to the mechanic (he was new at that location) he mentioned that he was surprised. nothing was mentioned to me during the brake servicing. What makes matters worse, is that during that last inspection, they made a point of telling me that my vehicle was in great shape!

I can’t help feeling that they dropped the ball on this and if they would of inspected my vehicle properly, this would of been avoided. I cringe at the thought of this happening on the highway with my family in the car! I contacted the owner of the Meineke and mentioned my concerns, but he will not take any responsibilities regarding this matter. I think, they at a bare minimum, should of covered half the cost.

So I guess my question is or are: Am I right in feeling this way? Should they be held accountable for failing to spot this, especially after front brake work? Is it possible for struts to look in good shape but then fail in the span of 5 months so drastically? I have been told by them, that it is recommended that struts be replaced every 80 000 km’s. Then why was this never been suggested to me? Am I right in believing that they dropped the ball big time!?

I am contemplating filling a report with the local BBB, but I am not sure if my feelings are justified and would appreciate the help of a un-biased mechanic on whether or not I should go ahead with this. I don’t want to cause problems to a business if it is not warranted. With that said, I don’t want to get screwed either. Right now, I think I am being screwed and they are giving me a lot of BS to cover their mistake!

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Michel

Why hi there Michel,

Hi there. This is the strangest story I have ever heard. I have NEVER seen a spring fail when the vehicle is just parked…..I could see a spring failure or break during an accident or under severe heavy loads but on a parked Hyundai….no way. BUT anything is possible and I hear of strange stories everyday.

I really don’t think the Meineke shop had anything to do with this or could have prevented it. The strut and the spring are sold separately and the spring is reused. So even if they replaced your struts 5 months ago you might still have the same issue now. I would also not write a complaint to the BBB, I really don’t think they have any liability in this situation. The spring is like your wheels, you routinely replace the tires but seldom if ever replace the metal wheel…same as the metal spring.

Now, how in the world did the repair bill get to $2040, that is a better question. Hummm, a strut and the spring, a new tire replacement and a brake line…I would have to call Hyundai and get the price of the spring and the strut but I dont see how this could have cost more than $1200….and that is TOTALLY a guess, unless he also replaced the other side as well…then MAYBE……MAYBE, or there is more that was replaced that we dont know.

I would have suggested a used strut and spring assembly from a junk yard on a 9 year old vehicle to save you some money. You MIGHT have more of a complaint with the new mechanic than with Meineke. You also MIGHT have an insurance claim with your auto insurance, it would be worth a call. if this happened while you were driving and hit a pot hole in the road you probably would have coverage for it and just had to pay the deductible amount if you have full coverage. You might still be able to get coverage, if you call your agent and you have full coverage….I would ask any way.

For grins…if you really want to know, call a junk yard in your area and ask them how much the left front suspension parts cost, spring, strut, spindle, brake line and brake rotor. They usually just sell everything needed (an assembly) from the strut to the wheel. I can buy it here in Texas for about $200 and installation is quick and easy replacing everything at once instead of individual pieces. Probably 2 1/2 hours labor time plus a front end alignment…..thus my $1200 estimate, and even that might be high for used parts.

Are you sure your car was not used by someone while you were on vacation….something about this does not make sense at all.

On a side note, if the left spring broke….what is the condition of the right side spring? Will it fail next? Is it heavily rusted due to salting of the icy roads??

Blessings,
Austin Davis

Reader Follow Up Hi Austin.

Thank you very much. I appreciate the reply but also how quick it was! They did replace both side. I figured if one spring can go, so can the other one and it’s most definitely something I did not want to take a chance on. I have never heard of that before either, until I looked it up and found and almost identical situation in a Hyundai forum.

http://www.hyundaiforum.com/forum/hyundai-santa-fe-20/broken-spring-8019/

I actually did not see these in my initial search. I only found one instance in the Hyundai forums, but now it seems to be a serious problem and should be a recall! Some broke while moving, but a few of them while parked.

http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2004/hyundai/santa_fe/suspension/problem.aspx

Perhaps, It’s Hyundai I should be contacting! I will have to look into this some more. Again, thank you for your help Austin. I appreciate it!

Most people…or should I say the average car owner rarely takes the time to inspect their car tires for wear, let alone open the hood from time to time and check on belts and hoses and battery cable connections, which are the top 3 mechanical breakdown issues I see.

I made a short video with my iphone (sorry the video is narrow width) that shows some concerning tire wear issues…that could have been easily avoidable.  Watch the video, and next time to get in your car take just a few minutes to walk around and inspect your tires and see if you have any of these issues you should be taking care of now to save time and money later.

Do not panic, evaluates what is happening to your vehicle.

If you notice white clouds coming from your engine, not smoke, but it’s steam from an overheated engine.
Usually an engine overheats when the car does not get enough coolant in the effort to cool itself. This can be very frequent if you drive usually stopping a lot, which is called “stop and go driving.”

Try to solve the issue for yourself if you realize that your engine is overheating .
Turn off your air conditioning and down the car windows.
Bring traffic to your vehicle and put to one side of the road or take it to a parking lot.
If the car is not too hot, turn off the car and lift the hood of the car. If the hood is very warm to the touch or if you see steam coming out of it, then we recommend that you wait until the hood to cool before opening.

Let the engine cool completely before touching or opening the radiator cap of water. This cooling process can take up to an hour.

Check your coolant reservoir when the engine has cooled and you can touch it. Turn the lid slowly and note the amount of fluid and coolant radiator. Add a dash of coolant or water, or perhaps both the radiator as you feel is necessary. The mixture of coolant / water should have a ratio of 50/50.
Put the radiator cap back into place and check all hoses for any loss or breakage.

Try to restart your car while watching the temperature on the dashboard . Turn off the vehicle immediately if the needle marks the red area. Try again after a few minutes.

Seek help from a mechanic if you still have problems of overheating and the correct level of coolant in the radiator.

Know what is the right time to change your tires . Look for signs of serious wear on your tires. Obviously, if a tire is low or you can visibly see the tire pieces are detached, it is time to buy new tires. Other smaller signs, such as a tire with heavy use, are less obvious but equally important. The most common method of detecting when your tires need to change only requires a penny. If you put the penny into the tread of your tire and see any part of Lincoln’s head, your tires are too worn and must be replaced. Many new tires are equipped with colored bars on the tracks to show when they are widely used. Most times, you can feel the tires are in poor condition while driving.

Give them your tires well maintained . rotating them every 5,000 to 10,000 miles (8.046 to 16.093 km) you will ensure that your tires have no more use than others. Constantly maintain the proper pressure is very important for the health of all your tires.

Calculate the size of your tires . These letters and numbers on the top of your tires have meaning. A common label may say “P200/70R16″ where the “P” indicates the tire is for passengers, “200″ is the width of the deck in millimeters, “70″ is the ratio between high and wide, ” R “indicates a radial tire, and finally” 16 “is the wheel diameter in inches. If you are replacing only one tire on your vehicle, make sure the new tire and measures consistent with the style of other covers.

Think of the most demanding aspect of your regular routine management . If you drive in bad weather conditions during the year, special tire for bad weather. If you drive a lot during the day, week after week, looking for lasting tires do not wear quickly. You can also choose to equip your vehicle with a different set of tires Based on the season. Some people have a set of tires for summer and a different one for the winter season.

Compare the drawing of lines between the tire footprint you’re thinking about buying . The major indicator of the quality of a tire is the life of the lines. This indicates the durability and stability. While each tire company launches a new and more elegant design of the tire market, many are similar in quality, so the durability is important. The range of speed of a tire is also important, especially if you live in a state with a speed limit. Some covers are equipped to go faster than others, so make sure you have a high-speed tires designed to drive your vehicle if you plan onstantemente 75-80 miles per hour (120 to 129 kilometers per hour)

When choosing a car for a teen driver, it’s best to choose a model that is in a range of medium size . The small or compact cars tend to have higher accident rates, while larger vehicles such as trucks or SUVs might be too big for a first-time driver.

Choose a used car, simply because they are cheaper . However, newer vehicles have a higher level of security that can protect a teenager in the case of an accident. Make sure the car you choose is less than 10 years to make, so you have the safety standards and better stability characteristics.

When choosing a vehicle for a teen, please note that it has the largest number of elements of security possible . This includes a reinforced frame, air bags front and side passenger and roll bars. All these features will help keep the driver safe of an accident.

Check the statistics and safety crash tests of the model you are considering before making a purchase . The cars are tested before being released for sale and valued for their ability to withstand a shock front or side.

Choose a vehicle that offers maximum power and speed than the fastest car on the road . Teens tend to drive fast only because they are new drivers, the choice of a car with a standard level of horsepower will help keep them at a safe speed.

If you choose a used car for teenage driver, request a history report yourself before making a purchase . This report (you can request CarFax) A list of any accident in which the vehicle has been involved, along with any other further damage, such as floods or fires.

One of the best ways to determine if a vehicle is right for your teen is to test them . See if you can handle it and if you can master it to stop and turn, the degree of difficulty you have to use the manual controls and comfortable that seems to operate the vehicle. This will give you a good idea if the size, maneuverability and speed of the vehicle is right for your teen driver.

• Find the location for the spark plugs in the engine . The location can be found by following the wires leading to the spark plugs.
• Write down on paper where each wire goes . The order with these cables is very important and if there are more than a spark plug, as in the case of an eight-cylinder engine, you mistake where each wire goes.
• Disconnect the cables.
• Clean the area around the spark plug before removing . Any particle of dust around the connector might fall into the cylinder when you remove the spark plug. This could cause wear of the cylinder.
• Put the key to the spark plug appropriate to its size and rotates counterclockwise clockwise to loosen . They may be a little hard at first.
• Check the electrode at the tip of the spark plug . Czech part of the plug that goes into the engine. In this part there is sort of like a laminitic “c”. That is the electrode. Check if there is coal in the internal space of the same. If it is greasy, the rings may be worn. If you tan, then it is working properly.
• Make sure the spark plug replacement is the same size as the old spark plug .
• Check the electrode gap for new spark plugs . Each engine has its specification about the size you should have the internal space of the “c” of the electrode. There are for sale devices which measure the space.
• Manually insert new spark plugs . Make sure that the thread entered correctly. If you do not try to squeeze it stuck to the force, certainly not well off.
• Tighten the spark plug with the tool . You must tighten according to torque specifications manual engine repairs. But just to give them a reglar handshake is enough.
• Place the cables in the right places . Should come not so easy to become loose.