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How Do Old Cars Become Classic Cars & How Are They Repaired?

on Mon, Jun 25, 2018 @ 11:45 AM By | Brandes Elitch | 0 Comments | Brandes Elitch Auto Repair
There’s a lot of interest in collecting old cars and classic cars these days. How does a collector know the difference between one that is just old and one that qualifies as a classic, and more importantly, how do they get them repaired?
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The Local Auto Body Shop of the Future

on Fri, Apr 20, 2018 @ 08:00 AM By | Joe Gargiulo | 0 Comments | Technology Auto Repair
In or about the year 2030, a fully autonomous car will drive itself to a local auto body shop for repairs within minutes of being involved in a minor fender bender. Furthermore, the arrival of the vehicle will be anticipated because its onboard diagnostic (OBD) system and the shop’s computers belong to the same national network. Next, one or more human passengers will make their way into the repair shop office to touch bases with management, and if necessary, finalize repair authorizations or provide additional information. Thus begins a scenario that will be played out in shops across the country, but what happens in the preceding 10 years will determine if those shops will survive “the cut” of an extremely dynamic marketplace. We offer the key moving parts followed by evidence supporting cause for optimism in this important segment of the auto aftermarket vertical.
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RepairPal Surveys Auto Repair Shops to Form Reliability Study

on Mon, Nov 20, 2017 @ 07:45 AM By | Joe Gargiulo | 0 Comments | Auto Repair
RepairPal.com released a Car Reliability Rating based on millions of vehicle repair orders from its Certified Network of over 2,000 auto repair shops. The organization says the research study is the first dependability metric to derive scores from real-world data. Asian automakers dominate the ratings with Honda, Lexus, Hyundai, Mazda, Kia, Toyota and Acura all scoring an Excellent rating of 4.5 out of 5.
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How to Find a Good Auto Mechanic

on Thu, Oct 12, 2017 @ 08:12 AM By | Brandes Elitch | 0 Comments | Brandes Elitch Auto Repair
Recently I spent some time with my old auto mechanic, Paul. By that, I don’t mean he is an old man (he just turned 50, which as we all know, is the new 30). I mean that for about 10 years, I brought my cars to him for maintenance and restoration. He had a day job at a car dealer, so he worked on my cars on the weekends.
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Buying a Cheap Used Car & Using a Reliable Auto Repair Shop

on Tue, Sep 12, 2017 @ 09:45 AM By | Brandes Elitch | 0 Comments | Brandes Elitch Auto Repair
Many American families have two or even three cars, and most people like to drive one they are proud of and admire. But if you are doing a lot of commuting in heavy traffic, you will probably want what people call a “daily driver,” something that can take parking-lot dings and occasional bumps and scrapes that will not worry you very much. You will also want to find a reliable auto repair shop in case things go wrong.
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Visit the Auto Repair Shop before Your Summer Road Trip

on Thu, Jun 01, 2017 @ 03:12 PM By | Jessica Fernandez | 0 Comments | Auto Repair
The adventure you’ve been waiting for all summer has arrived — your family’s annual road trip. The kids are squirming with excitement (and so are you) as you pull out of the driveway and make your way to Big Bear Lake … until you realize your brakes are failing, your engine is overheating and the tires are worn out. This calls for a visit your local auto repair shop. Summer is a popular season for road trips, and to prevent road trip stallers, Repairpal.com has helped us curate a list of summer car maintenance techniques that will help you (and your car) stay one step ahead of the heat.
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Why Are Auto Repair Costs So High?

on Fri, Apr 28, 2017 @ 10:00 AM By | Brandes Elitch | 0 Comments | Brandes Elitch Auto Repair
A study by repair data provider “CarMD” called the “2017 Vehicle Health Index” looked at average auto repair costs in 2016, and found that costs rose almost 3% last year and in 2015 too. The average repair bill for routine maintenance is $398. This is for minor repairs, not crash damage. The index (published April 2017) has 5.3 million repairs in its database, so I would guess it is a pretty comprehensive and reliable source. It turns out that there are five common repairs. The most common is a faulty oxygen sensor (8% of repairs). Next up is the catalytic converter (6.75%), followed by faulty ignition coils and spark plugs (6.23%). Amazingly, a loose gas cap was responsible for 4.16% of the “check engine lights, and the last one was a non-functioning mass airflow sensor (3.84%).
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AAA Survey Says Americans Are Wary of Auto Repair Shops

on Fri, Dec 30, 2016 @ 09:36 AM By | Joe Gargiulo | 0 Comments | Auto Repair
Sixty-three percent of US motorists don’t trust auto repair shops in general, but almost the same percentage have found one that they trust says AAA. The organization released its findings December 1, 2016 after analyzing the results of a recent survey that did not distinguish between “mechanical service and repair” and “collision repair.” AAA (American Automobile Association) urges all motorists to identify reputable facilities in advance of car trouble, and has established a protocol for businesses to become AAA Approved Auto Repair shops.
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Auto Body Repair Shops Increase Sales Using Independent Parts

on Tue, Dec 15, 2015 @ 10:00 AM By | Joe Gargiulo | 1 Comment | Increase Sales Auto Repair
According to a report by the Quality Parts Coalition (QPC), Americans are choosing aftermarket parts from independent manufacturers over OEM parts when given the chance. The report, “Competition Drives Real Consumer Savings in Collision Repair,” was released December 2015 using data from the Certified Automotive Parts Association. The numbers are compelling: Americans saved $363 million using independent parts for the top 100 collision repair parts used by consumers between 2009 and 2014 while the name brand items were 27 percent more expensive on average.
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Space Exploration Reveals the Future of Auto Repair

on Fri, Aug 14, 2015 @ 10:00 AM By | Tom Lombardo | 0 Comments | Technology Auto Repair
Now that humanity (as financed by the United States) has visited every major planet in the solar system, it turns out that the endeavor teaches us a great deal about the future of the auto repair business.
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