Econo Firestone Auto Repair Riverside

3 Common Brake Repair Complaints
Brake repair is a service most of us won’t want to put off when our repair shop recommends it. Safe operation of a vehicle requires that the brakes are working correctly and able to stop us within a safe distance. Brakes on today’s vehicles are complex – especially with anti-lock braking and other computerized components. These computers rely on mechanical brake components in order for the electronics to do the job they’re designed to do.
Brake system components operate in harsh dirty conditions and function under extreme temperatures and pressures. These conditions require quality parts and professional repair procedures in order to ensure the safety of a vehicle.
Common brake system problems
The most common brake system complaint auto repair shops receive is about brake pulsation. While more annoying than unsafe, it’s still one of the most common reasons for brake repair on today’s cars, trucks and SUVs. Fixing this problem is not hard, but there are several factors that influence what brake repair procedures should be taken to correct the condition. When correcting brake pulsation, the mechanic must determine the cause of the customer’s complaint. There are a number of reasons or causes for brake pulsation:
• The brakes became overheated which warped the rotors
• Brake calipers are hanging up and causing rotor warping
• Pulling a trailer that caused overheating and rotor warp
• Rotor warp over time from normal driving
• Loose wheel bearings
A second common brake system complaint repair shops are asked about is brake warning lights. Almost every new vehicle built in the last ten years has anti-lock brakes. These brake systems are controlled by computers and use sensors to monitor wheel speed to determine when the anti-lock brakes should activate. Brake sensors and their connecting wires must flex over every bump the vehicle travels. This continuous movement wears the wires internally and eventually they break. This sets off a code and the computer turns on the brake warning light.
A third common brake repair complaint auto repair shops hear relates to the fluid within the braking system. Customers often state:
• I keep losing brake fluid in the brake master cylinder?
• My brake pedal slowly fades to the floor after stopping?
Now that we have listed the main complaints about brake repair, let’s talk about how these problems can be repaired. While we won’t cover every repair situation, we will address how auto repair shops will fix these common problems.

How to fix brake pulsation complaints
Brake pulsation is that annoying undulation that happens when braking to slow or stop. The cause is one or more rotors being warped, meaning the two sides of the rotors are not parallel and the rotor thickness varies at different places around the rotor. This unevenness pushes on the brake parts and the vehicles suspension, which causes the vibration or undulating you feel when applying the brakes.
Three ways to fix brake pulsation problems
• Have the warped brake rotors turned on a lathe to make them straight
• Replace warped rotors
• Repair loose wheel bearings so brake rotors don’t wobble
The first procedure to eliminate brake pulsation involves turning the warped rotors. This process can happen with the rotors on or off the car. It removes thin layers of metal from the rotor surfaces with the goal of restoring both sides of the rotors to an even or “true” state with no thickness variation. This is normally a good fix that eliminates noticeable pulsation as brake pads can once again apply even pressure to the rotors during stops.
Since this turning process removes metal, the rotors lose thickness and are more likely to warp again when heated by normal braking. Picture the differing amounts of flame needed to light a thin versus a thick piece of wood on fire. While less flame lights a thin piece, more is needed to light a thick piece of wood.
The same concept can be applied to thick versus thin rotors and the amount of heat that produces a change. Auto owners should consider that since thinner rotors warp sooner than new “thicker” rotors, having rotors turned to correct pulsation will likely results in the need for brake repair sooner than if new rotors are installed.
That brings us to the second method to fix brake pulsation, which is rotor replacement. A repair shop that provides rotor-turning services may measure the rotor and determine they are so thin that not enough metal remains to allow removal of more during turning process. This means the rotors must be replaced. With the price of replacement rotors dropping and the undesirable tendency of turned rotors warping sooner than a replacement, many repair shops today don’t bother repairing warped rotors. They simply provide a quote for replacing rotors to fix a brake pulsation.
The third brake repair method to fix pulsation is to replace loose wheel bearings. Worn bearings can’t hold the rotor secure enough to keep it straight and cause uneven rotor wear that gets progressively worse with increased mileage. Even if brake rotors are turned or new rotors are installed, there can still be pulsation with loose wheel bearings.
Diagnosing brake warning light problems
Brake warning light repairs start with the technician reading the code that caused the light to display. After the code is read, a diagnostic procedure is followed to identify the component or wiring problem responsible for the failure that set the code.

Frequently, the intermittent operation of a wheel speed sensor is what sets off a code. The code will identify which sensor is responsible and then the technician will usually be directed to measure the resistance of the sensor. If the resistance is not within specification, the sensor will be replaced. When sensor wiring is the offending culprit, the dash warning usually happens under extreme use as with going over bumps or curbs in a driveway. These conditions stretch the wiring enough to cause the failure.
Depending on the brake system failure code, there could also be problems with a brake module or solenoids within the module. In the case of a speed sensor fault, the code will lead the tech to the diagnostic charts and have them complete tests to isolate the reason for the fault code. Remember, when these failures are intermittent, they can be hard to diagnose because the system may test correctly while in the shop.
Fixing brake fluid loss or internal leakage
Hydraulic brake fluid leaks can be internal or external. External leaks will drip fluid on the ground or under the dash on the driver’s side near the feet. Internal leaks can’t be seen, but they are felt, usually in the form of a brake pedal that falls slowly while at a stop sign. If your vehicle is losing fluid, no matter where you are, you should talk to your repair shop about how best to deliver your vehicle to them for diagnosis of the problem without compromising your safety. External fluid leaks are corrected by replacing the component that is leaking. Here is a list of components where leakage is possible:
• Brake master cylinder
• Drum brake wheel cylinder
• Brake caliper
• Flexible brake hose
• Rigid brake line
Internal leaks are usually in the master cylinder, but it is possible to have a caliper or brake cylinder leaking internally. This basically means that hydraulic fluid is bypassing the rubber seals inside the cylinder, so the pressure is not holding.

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Smart Cars, Smarter Technicians
Today's vehicles are sophisticated and extremely complex machines. The average car has 6-20 computers that help manage everything from the sunroof to anti-lock braking system (ABS) to the electronically controlled transmission (ECT). And the technicians who service the vehicles need to be technologically savvy like never before.

The increasing demand for automotive technicians combined with good salaries make this a career choice that neither students, parents nor guidance counselors should ignore.

Alan Cherko, a shop owner in the Los Angeles, California area, says the potential exists for individuals who work hard at educating and certifying themselves to make "upwards of $80-100,000 per year." Cherko adds that "a willingness to continue education and pursue voluntary on-the-job training" helps put young technicians on the fast track.

Students who want to become automotive technicians can usually begin their careers after two years of study at a technical college, permitting budding technicians to enter the labor market sooner (and likely with less student debt) than their cohorts who attend college for four, six, or more years.

"Society feels young people must go to college to be successful but that's not true these days," said Bill Willis, a car dealer in Smyrna, Delaware. "Good techs are scarce and if you have the aptitude to turn a wrench and fix things, plus education and ASE certification, chances are that will equal a very secure job. We have lots of help these days with training from vehicle manufacturers. In addition, lots of businesses will 'grow' their techs from apprentice to top tech. They can move on to management later, if that's what they're looking for. It's an excellent career choice--better than 30 years ago."

And the tech's job is very portable, qualified technicians are in demand across the country.
Dave Watson, a shop owner in Littleton, Colorado, and an ASE-certified master technician himself puts it this way: "A tech would be able to get a job almost anywhere because they are proven professionals. Shops are more than willing to pay for qualified techs. Besides, the country runs on its wheels."
Source: http://www.ase.com/News-Events/Publications/Car-Care-Articles/Smart-Cars,-Smarter-Technicians.aspx

How Often Tires Should be Rotated ?
It is a simple rule to remember, a good time to rotate car tires is when the oil is changed, assuming that it is done at least once a year and more often if driving is more than 10,000 miles annually.
Generally vehicle manufacturers recommend that the tires should be rotated on the same schedule as oil changes. In most cases that means every 7,500 miles or six months, though some have stretched the oil-change interval to 10,000 miles, as with many Fords, Volkswagens and Toyotas. BMW allows up to 15,000 miles between oil changes, but that is too long of a time to wait to rotate the tires. Unless driving is fewer than about 7,500 miles per year, it's a good idea to rotate tires every six months or so to prevent uneven wear.
The tires mounted on the drive wheels of any vehicle perform extra duty’s as they apply the power to the pavement. On front-wheel-drive vehicles, that is increased by the weight of the engine and transmission because the front tires do most of the work in turns. Rotating the tires between front and rear a couple of times a year spreads out the burden, so the tread can wear evenly. Automakers that offer all-wheel-drive cars also recommend rotating tires. Subaru, for example, says to do it every 7,500 miles or 7.5 months, whichever comes first.
There are exceptions to these examples, particularly with performance models that may have different schedules for tire rotation to ensure the tires wear properly. It is suggested to follow the recommended schedule outlined in the cars owner's manual, but the rotation of tires, (and oil change) should be done at least once a year. It is not required to take the car to a dealership to have a regular rotation done as many other tire dealers and other repair shops will perform both jobs for about $30.
Source: https://www.cars.com/articles/2013/05/how-often-should-you-rotate-your-tires/
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The Importance commercial truck insurance

A growing majority of Americans agree: Health care shouldn’t be a business. They’re finally coming around to the idea that it can and should be a public good instead — something we can all turn to when the need arises. The favorite right-wing argument against Medicare for All — the most popular approach to universal, publicly financed heath care — is that it’s too expensive. More on those costs in a moment. But first, we should note that our current health care system is actually the most expensive in the world by a long shot, even though we have millions of uninsured and under insured people and lackluster health outcomes.
This is partly because a lot of that money doesn’t go directly toward keeping people healthy. Instead it goes to the overhead costs required to keep businesses running. These include exorbitant executive salaries, marketing to beat out the competition, the labor-intensive work of assessing and denying claims and so on. None of these would be a factor in a single-payer, Medicare for All system. Taiwan and Canada both have single-payer systems, and both spend less than 2 percent of total expenditures on administrative costs — and so does the United States’ current Medicare program. By contrast, private insurers in the United States spend as much as 25 percent on overheads.
But the most important way Medicare for All would save money isn’t by slashing administrative costs. It’s by using the power and size of the government, like other countries around the world currently do, to negotiate favorable terms with drug companies and service providers. There’s a reason a CT scan costs $896 in the United States, but only $97 in Canada.
And what about the sticker shock factor — the dramatic rise in government spending to accommodate such a program? Medicare for All would transfer all payment responsibility to one public agency (as opposed to a bunch of private companies), and that act of combination produces the big price tag that conservatives use as a cudgel. But while this would be more expensive for the government, it wouldn’t be for ordinary Americans. The money would be raised through progressive income and corporate taxes and end up costing most people less than their current health care. And coverage would be comprehensive and universal, meaning nobody would ever be unable to afford the care they need.
Pursuing Medicare for All would come with its own set of dilemmas: Eliminating an entire industry won’t be easy, and we’ll face plenty of political resistance and calls for half-measures. But if we want actual universal coverage, and we want it to be affordable and high-quality, Medicare for All is the only way forward.
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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/10/opinion/medicare-for-all-health-costs.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FHealth%20Insurance%20and%20Managed%20Care

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