Ever wonder why your vehicle has developed a certain smell? Here is the “smell” primer to help you know when it is serious and when you can wait on diagnosis (courtesy of Popular Mechanics Magazine, March 2006:

(1) SMELLS LIKE: MAPLE SYRUP - COME IN IMMEDIATELY

WHEN: After the engine has warmed or possibly even after it’s shut off for a few minutes.
THE CULPRIT: Coolant containing sweet-smelling (but toxic) ethylene glycol is leaking from somewhere. It could be coming from a radiator or heater hose, a failed intake manifold gasket or cylinder head. It might be coming from a leaky radiator cap or the radiator itself, especially if you smell it outside the car. A strong odor inside the passenger compartment probably means a bad heater core.

(2) SMELLS LIKE: GYM SOCKS - NOT CRITICAL

WHEN: You turn on the heater/air-conditioner fan and you get a whiff of that high-school gym locker.
THE CULPRIT: It’s good, old-fashioned mildew growing in the moisture condensing inside your a/c evaporator. And no, drizzling Listerine down the vents won’t fix it, in spite of what your brother-in-law read on the Internet. Check popularmechanics.com/musty for advice on curing this. Cheap solution: Turn off the a/c a mile from home and run the fan on high to dry the system out.

(3) SMELLS LIKE: HELL - COME IN QUICKLY

WHEN: All the time, especially after the vehicle has been sitting after a long drive.
THE CULPRIT: Yes, it really is brimstone, or, as it is usually called today, sulfur. This means gear lube is leaking from the manual transmission, transfer case or differential housing. Sulfur compounds in this oil serve as extreme-pressure lubricants for the gears, and can get pretty funky after a few years in service. Look for sulfury-smelling dribbles of viscous, oily stuff under the car. Unfortunately, leaks here typically mean a trip to the shop.

(4) SMELLS LIKE: A GAS STATION - CHECK FOR GAS LEAK BEFORE YOU DRIVE TO SHOP

WHEN: Parked, especially inside a garage or when the weather is really warm.
THE CULPRIT: This is raw gasoline. On older cars–pre-1980 or so–some odor after a hot shutoff is normal from fuel afterboil in the carburetor float bowl. Modern cars have an evaporative-emissions system that’s tighter than our managing editor’s deadline schedule, so any fuel smell means something is wrong. There may be a leak from a fuel-injection line or a fuel-tank vent hose.

(5) SMELLS LIKE: ROTTEN EGGS - CAN WAIT A LITTLE BIT, USUALLY

WHEN: Any time your engine is running.
THE CULPRIT: Hydrogen sulfide in the exhaust, which is produced by trace amounts of sulfur in gasoline. It’s supposed to be converted to sulfur dioxide in your catalytic converter. This may be indicative of a fuel-injection problem, and can be cured by a sharp mechanic. But often it means a failed catalytic converter. The bad news: A new cat is expensive. The good news is it’s probably covered under warranty. Check with your dealer.

(6) SMELLS LIKE: BURNT PAPER - CAN WAIT AS LONG AS YOU CAN STILL USE THE CLUTCH

WHEN: At all speeds, particularly when you’re working your way through the gears.
THE CULPRIT: The clutch facing is burning off as the clutch slips. The odor is reminiscent of smoldering newsprint: like trying to burn the Sunday newspaper all at once in the fireplace, especially if it’s been used to wrap sardines. The friction material is actually a paper composition, which explains the papery part of the smell. Either replace the clutch, or learn to stop riding the clutch pedal.

(7) SMELLS LIKE: HOT OIL - IF ONLY A LITTLE BIT, YOU MAY BE OKAY - IF IT’S A LOT, CHECK THE OIL LEVEL, TOP OFF IF NEEDED AND GET HERE FAST

WHEN: Your engine is hot.
THE CULPRIT: Oil is leaking onto the hot exhaust manifold. This is an acrid, burning smell. It’s earthier and more nose-wrinkling than the odor of cooking oil used for french fries. If it’s from a leaky crankshaft seal that’s spraying oil all over, some of it will find the red-hot manifold–but most will be on the pavement. A leaky valve cover won’t necessarily leave a drip on the floor if all the oil drizzles onto the exhaust, vaporizing immediately. Look for smoke and try to stem the leak.

(8) SMELLS LIKE: BURNT CARPET - OKAY AS LONG AS YOU DON’T WAIT TOO LONG

WHEN: After you’ve been using the brakes a lot, or hard, or both.
THE CULPRIT: The brake pads are overheated. This is perfectly normal after riding the brakes coming down a long mountain pass–but you should learn to downshift, you flatlander. If you smell this under normal driving conditions, you’ve got a dragging brake caused by a seized-up brake caliper piston. Or maybe you just left the handbrake on. Check the temperature of the brakes by hand–the hot one is probably the smelliest.

Read more: Auto Diagnosis - What’s That Smell? - Popular Mechanics

I found this article on Edmunds.com and LOVED it! We hear many of these same complaints from our customers. This explains why you end up feeling ripped off at dealerships and other shops – because you are!

I’ve added the comments in bold italics to explain how RPM Autoworx differs from the dealership and local greasy shop experience.

I grew up working in the service department of a Chevrolet dealership in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. My father and uncle started the franchise about the time I was born. As a kid I was always down there washing cars or pricing parts. At that time, GM probably made the best product in the world.

After I got out of college, I moved to California and got a job as a service writer at a domestic dealership in a wealthy area. Later, I went to work at a specialty car company that was building high-end cars, and I was their national service manager for years.

What I learned over the years always put me at odds with my bosses. They wanted me to sell more, to recommend service that wasn’t needed and to overcharge for the work being done. Ultimately, I concluded that the fundamental incentives built into the system were dishonest. I couldn’t do it anymore so I got out of the business.

So here are a few things I learned that will save you a whole lot of money.

Who Is the Service Advisor?

People think of the service advisor (also called a service writer) as a mechanic but basically they are salesmen. They’re even paid on commission. That means that the more work they convince you that your car needs the more money that puts in their pockets. (At RPM Autoworx our service writers are paid based on the NET profit of the business not on commission from individual customer tickets.)

Another problem is almost no one reads their owner’s manual so they really don’t know what’s best for their car. See, the manual was written by the company that built your car. It is the most accurate description of how to care for it. But when people go to the dealership for routine maintenance, the service advisor pushes the “dealer recommended service” on them. Basically, this calls for oil changes and transmission flushes more frequently than the owner’s manual. (At RPM Autoworx, we’ve discussed many times that we want our customers to read their owner’s manual).

For instance, the dealer might recommend changing the transmission fluid every 12,000 miles, whereas the manual recommends changing it every 60,000 miles. If you followed the dealer’s recommendation that means you’d have four transmission fluid changes that were unnecessary. And transmission fluid changes aren’t cheap — they can run $200, so you might be spending as much as $800 unnecessarily. (RPM follows the manufacturer’s recommendations).

When You Arrive at the Dealership

At the dealership, customers pull up in the driveway and are greeted by the service advisors. As the customers line up, you develop a sixth sense of who needs what, and thus which customer you should go to, to make the most money. Of course, you have the returning customers who you’re familiar with, and you have to help them. But then you find yourself looking for the people who have old-looking cars and who also look rich, so you figure they can afford superfluous work.

The way we were taught to handle customers is via a carefully controlled interaction. The company even produces videos detailing exactly what they’re supposed to do and say and sell. (RPM service writers are never “scripted”. We teach our counter people and technicians to develop a relationship with our customers and to present various options to you that respect your budget.)

There are phrases you find yourself using to sell services. For example, you can get people to go for early fluid changes by saying, “While you’re here, let’s get this work taken care of,” because people hate the hassle of coming to the dealership and waiting around. We also play up the safety issue. If you want someone to agree to a brake job, just say, “There’s less than 50 percent of your brake pads left.” That sounds bad but actually it isn’t time to get a brake job until that number is much closer to 15. (At 50% of brake pad left, most customers have until at least their next oil change before the pads need replacing.)

Pricing Work for Profit

Service jobs are priced according to the “flat rate” book, which has the times it takes to perform each repair or service procedure. For instance, an oil change takes 0.3 hour according to this book. The mechanics, however, try to beat these times to make more money for doing less work. Unfortunately, that incentivizes speed and overselling, which to me is the built-in problem with most service departments. (RPM pays our technicians a combination of salary and share of net profit so they are NOT on 100% “flat rate” commission like at most other shops in town. We want our folks to know that they have a steady paycheck they can live on and not have to worry about how they will live this week or next.)

There was a mechanic at one of the places I worked, who had created this contraption that actually sucked the oil out of the engine rather than letting it drain out. He could change oil in three minutes and get paid for the flat 18-minute rate. The guy probably made more money than anyone else in the dealership except for the owner.

The Dangers of “Upselling”

Let’s say that someone comes into the dealership for a simple oil change. They immediately become a target for the service department to “upsell” them as much additional work as possible. First of all, the advisor will ask how many miles are on the car. If there is close to, for example, 20,000 miles, they will say, “Well, you’re just about ready for your 20,000-mile service. Here’s what we recommend.” They then whip out a sheet with a laundry list of services that are offered for a package price. But if you look at what is actually done to the car, it is just inspections or fluid checks and fills. (At RPM, inspections and fluid refills are part of all our oil changes. Our conventional oil change is still under $30.)

When you start getting more miles, the service writer will say, “We’re going to do all services recommended for that mileage, but we’ll also check for other problems.” So you agree to a “full inspection,” which is one of the biggest scams. Later in the day the service writer will call and say, “Everything looks OK but we recommend you have some other work done: transmission fluid, air-conditioning, differential fluid.”  So you go in for an oil change and end up dropping $600. (RPM teaches its customers to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations unless the fluids are leaking, have a funny odor or there is some other compelling reason to replace fluids, etc.)

Dealerships don’t profit on extensive operations like replacing engine blocks, transmissions or other large components. These require expensive parts, and the mechanics take longer to finish them. So while you pay a lot for these operations, the service department doesn’t make much off them. With the smaller operations, on the other hand, you don’t pay as much, but they’re making a very high percentage of profit. (RPM Autoworx provides engine and transmission replacement even though the profit margin is very small on these jobs. We want our customers to have the option to hang on to their vehicles as long as they desire and to avoid the high cost of purchasing a new vehicle too soon for their budget.)

Brake Jobs and Other Scams

Service departments are always trying to get you to agree to a brake job you don’t necessarily need. And then they recommend that you “turn the rotors.” This means putting the rotor (the disc part of the brakes) on a lathe and cutting a thin layer of metal off to make the surface flat. They charge you $50 each to turn the rotors, and it only costs them 50 cents and the startup cost of buying a lathe. (RPM SHOWS you the brake pads, rotors and how they are measured. Turning rotors is included in the cost of the brake job. Unless the rotors are out of specification, we have no problem turning the rotors.)

“I’m on Your Side”

Service departments take advantage of the fact that there’s not as much mistrust of them as there is of car salesmen. They play the role of “I’m on your side,” the friendly mechanic. Often they have some mechanical experience but actually, their strong suit is that they have good public relations skills. Their job is to be the counselor to the customer, to tell them what they need and don’t need.

I didn’t play this game and sometimes I got in trouble because I wouldn’t sell enough. The service manager would call a meeting and tell the writers, “You made this much but you have to try to make more.” They wanted us to boost profit so that they themselves would get a bonus. It was always, “You’re not selling enough! Get out there and really do it!” My response was, “I’m not going to sell this stuff to people who don’t need it.” Then they said, “What do you mean, ‘need it’? It’s not going to hurt them to change their oil more often, and it’ll help us.”(Since Rick and I are the owners and we see our customers around town, we will fire anyone on our staff who tried to sell you something you do not need.)

After awhile, when you build loyalty, you get returning customers. So my argument to the dealer was that if you kept trying to upsell the customers, they wouldn’t return after their warranty expired. I think the dealers are starting to recognize that, but part of their response is to sell more extended warranties, which are unfortunately kind of a scam. It’s basically an insurance company betting you that your car won’t break down. (Auto repairs at an independent shop does NOT void your warranty – if you are paying a dealership for any type of service, you can come to RPM Autoworx and save at least 25%. We keep your records electronically so if you do have a warranty issue you have proof that you followed the recommended manufacturer services which is all you need for warranty repairs.)

Tips From an Insider

I tell people to read the owner’s manual before you go see the dealer. Or go to an online chat and share the knowledge of other owners. (Note: Edmunds.com’s forums are filled with information about maintenance). Also, it helps to do a visual inspection of your car. You don’t have to be mechanically minded — just look to see if the oil is dirty or not. (Exactly why RPM Autoworx lets you watch the repair and shows you what needs replacing while it is still on your vehicle. Our customers are smart and auto repair is NOT the big mystery that many dealerships and independent shops try to make it.)

But the most important thing, don’t trust the dealer’s recommended mileages; use the manufacturer’s guidelines in the manual. (Absolutely!) This is probably the best way to deflect the service guys when they try to upsell you. Copy that page in the manual, hand it to the service advisor and say, “Here’s what I want you to do.” (We have access to the most recent manufacturer’s recommended services and we can print it out for you so you can match it to your manual.)

The other thing to remember is that service advisors are wary of customers who look like they know what they’re doing. So take some time to learn a little about your car. You might find it interesting — and it will definitely save you money the next time you go in for service. (At RPM, we want you to come to us every time but we realize you sometimes may have to go to somewhere else. If you do, we want you to avoid the rip-offs and scams which is why we educate you about your vehicle.)

Since it is so hot out and our vehicles need extra hydration just as we do in this weather, our special is on coolant system repair, 5% off this week only.

There are a number of components to your cooling system that are discussed below – radiator, hoses, thermostat, water pump and heater core.

An average radiator contains vertical or horizontal finned tubing sections connected between two tanks. It is designed to hold an abundant amount of water and ethylene glycol, or antifreeze, and circulates through the car in passages that contact with the atmosphere to cool the liquid. Because of this process, heat is conducted away from the engine parts allowing smooth performance of the engine. The outside air that passes through the radiator grill helps to cool the liquid, which then circulates back to the engine by means of another hose.

The radiator reduces the temperature of the coolant, which has absorbed the heat from the engine, keeping it within a normal operating temperature. It is vitally important that you check your radiator regularly. Overheating an engine can cause permanent damage and result in engine replacement. A leaking radiator will cause your engine to run at a higher than normal temperature and may cost you huge dollars in engine repair costs. A radiator should always be completely filled with a combination of water and antifreeze – NOT JUST PLAIN WATER.

Allowing the presence of air pockets in the radiator will produce more internal pressure than liquid coolant because gases expand under heat tremendously more than liquids, and high pressure also results in higher operating temperatures.

The radiator can also accumulate internal residue and/or corrode over time. The cooling efficiency can be dramatically reduced as a result. If you find your vehicle is running at higher than normal temperatures, it may be time to install a new replacement or high performance radiator.

Based on the type of vehicle, it is sometimes possible to successfully flush the material out of the radiator but this can also cause more problems if there are a lot of loose particles that then get stuck in or near the engine.

Other parts of the coolant system that can need replacement:

1. Water Pump

A water pump is the central reason your vehicle runs at a normal operating temperature. Your water pump is of primary importance to your vehicle’s coolant circulation throughout your vehicle’s cooling system. If your water pump isn’t operating, the engine coolant just sits in the block and heads. It doesn’t circulate or flow to the radiator to displace heat. No coolant heat displacement from the radiator means your vehicle will quickly overheat. This will lead to costly damage such as blown head gaskets or even irreversible damage such as warped heads and perhaps a blown engine. Even a reduction in pressure delivered by the water pump can lead to costly damage to your vehicle. Constricted or blocked flow leads to higher engine operating temperatures. Overheating can damage the components of your cooling system as well such as the thermostat, radiator, hoses etc. If you are replacing your water pump, it is wise to do a complete cooling system tune-up. Don’t forget the other vital parts like hoses, thermostats, radiator caps and fan belts. Also remember that not all water pumps are the same. The water pump is unique to your model of vehicle and has been designed strictly for your engine cooling efficiency. High performance and custom water pumps go above and beyond to deliver the optimum cooling performance.

2. Thermostat

The thermostat in a vehicle regulates the flow of coolant throughout the system. This is important for two reasons. First, it controls the amount of coolant moving through the cooling system to help keep the vehicle’s engine from overheating. And second, it controls the flow in such a way that the operating temperature is kept within a narrow margin. Your vehicle’s engine operates at peak efficiency within this narrow band of temperature regulation. In other words, you don’t want your engine running too hot or too cold.

3. Heater Core

A Heater Core provides the hot air that comes out of heater vents in your vehicle. Heating and cooling are really very closely related. After all, cooling is simply the transference or separation of the heat energy from the object in which you are trying to cool off. Temperature is really a measurement of how fast molecules vibrate, or how much energy they have. Trying to slow the vibration is less efficient than separating the energy from the quickly vibrating molecules from the slower ones.

The heater core is more or less a small radiator usually located under the dashboard. Coolant fluid is circulated from the main engine radiator to the heater core, but only when you turn the vehicle’s heater on. The internal heater control unit opens or closes a valve that meters the flow of coolant fluid to the heater core. That allows heat to radiate from the heater core. This is why your vehicle runs cooler when you have the heater on. The fin-like configuration of the heater core permits hot air passage into the vehicle. The hot fluid transfers its heat to the air through the fins and into the interior of your vehicle. When the heater core channels become restricted or plugged, the flow of hot liquid slows or stops.

A sweet, burning smell inside your vehicle when the heater fan is operating is a telltale sign of heater core problems – this is the smell of antifreeze. Another indicator is that the inside of your windows fog up when the heat is turned on. This is due to condensation built up from the blockage or restriction. The heater core is a significant component of the unrestricted air/heat/cooling system circulation assembly that provides heat and cooling.

Shocks/struts wear out within 50,000 miles EVEN IF you don’t have leaking shocks/struts, they are not performing well since they cycle over a million times by 50,000 miles.

Once the shocks/struts no longer keep the wheels on the ground, your other suspension parts start to wear out. So if you replace all the other suspension parts, you may want to make sure you also replace your shocks/struts in a timely manner so you can avoid these parts breaking prematurely.

If your vehicle rides lower, bounces more, makes noises over bumps or if you have to stop farther back from other vehicles when approaching a light or stop sign, it is telling you that suspension repair is most likely needed.

Here’s what to consider when replacing suspension components:

·         Price: When it comes to your suspension, you really get what you pay for. If you purchase the cheapest shocks or struts, the ride quality will be low and they will not last as long as the more expensive brands.

·         Vehicle Use: You want to purchase the right suspension parts for the type of work the vehicle will be involved in. You do not want to put normal shocks on a large truck that consistently hauls very heavy loads. Also, normal passenger cars that carry regular loads do not need extra duty shocks unless you usually haul a LOT of heavy items in your trunk. Make certain to gauge the usage of the vehicle properly.

·         Go with OE Recommendations: If the vehicle has level adjusting shocks, replace them with the same type shock. The same is true for air shocks. Trying to eliminate these features simply to save some money can really cause serious issues down the road. Make certain what you take off goes right back on.

·         Inspect Everything: Make certain all components are inspected – and that we SHOW them to you still on the vehicle. We keep looking to make sure there are no other issues. Granted not all issues can be found all of the time, but at least we can double check.

·         Brand Selection: When selecting a brand, keep in mind every brand has different specialties. KYB and Billstein are known for performance, Monroe is known for ride quality and Rancho is known for off-road and heavy loads. Make certain you match the brand with what final result you are looking for.

·         Replacing in Pairs: When doing suspension work, most parts have an equal on the opposite side. It is best practice to replace the same part on the other side as well to prevent a noticeable performance difference from side to side.

·         Combination Replacement: There are certain parts that when you replace this you should also do that. For example, when you replace a strut, you should replace the bearing plate and boot.

·         Alignment: Any front suspension repairs should be followed by a quality four-wheel alignment at a reputable repair facility. This is due to the fact that you will be removing many different components and could possibly pull the alignment out causing tire wear or damage in the future.

Here are a few symptoms and possible solutions to engine issues:

Problem: Rough Idle

Possible issues: Spark plugs, Spark plug Wires, Vacuum Leak, or Clogged Fuel Injectors

A car engine that sounds rough when a car reaches high speed is often an indication of a problem on spark plugs or spark plug wires. When you drive faster the spark plugs fire frequently which make the spark plugs or spark plug wires put to a maximum use at high speed. At this condition the rough engine sound is noticeable when the spark plugs or wires fail to operate correctly.

A vacuum leak occurs when any of the hoses that carry air to the engine have a hole or are not attached fully.

There is another reason commonly encountered on high mileage cars, out of adjustment valves. When this problem is present the affected engine cylinder will encounter low compression thus misfiring occurs. However, if the car is fuel injected (does not have a carburetor) the possibilities of clogged fuel injector can also cause engine misfiring. The engine cylinder that is affected by clogging will be starved of fuel and rough idle is apparent.

Problem: Engine Vibration

Possible Issues: Spark Plugs, Wires, Distributor Cap, Valves or Engine Mounts.

All of the reasons above except for the worn valve can affect the firing of the air/fuel ratio into the car engine’s cylinder. Burned valves can cause improper compression which can result in engine misfiring.

When a car engine vibrates excessively while idling it indicates a problem that can be related to engine firing. Car engine cylinders needs to fire in a correct order so that the car engine will run smoothly. If one or more of the cylinders improperly fires this causes imbalance on the engine which will transmit to the whole car and as a result an excessive vibration is felt even when the car is at idle.

If your engine vibrates when the car is idling but gets better when vehicle is moving, check the engine mounts. These keep the engine stable in the car so if one breaks your engine is not secure. This causes the engine to move too much but when accelerating, the power of the engine causes the vibration to stop temporarily as it stays in that spot. Stop accelerating and the engine vibrates again.

You can see this happen if you look under the hood, keep the vehicle in park and step on the gas. If mounts are broken, you will see the engine moving around as you accelerate and “sit” back down when you stop.

Problem: Blue Smoke

Issue:  Oil Burning/Bad Rings

A vehicle with blue smoke may also have less power especially when driving on a hill. Rings on the engine prevent the oil from entering into the engine combustion chamber. When the rings are bad oil starts to enter the combustion chamber and burns which is what creates the blue smoke.  Rings maintain compression on the engine so when they are bad causes weak compression. Compression is important so that the engine can generate power.

Problem: White Smoke

Possible Issue: Head Gasket Damaged

When you notice a white smoke coming out the exhaust of your car even when the engine temperature is cold, warm or hot, this can be an indication of a damaged head gasket. The head gasket is the part that keeps the water that serves as coolant surrounding the engine from entering into the engine cylinder head. When the same gasket is damaged some of the water jacket will flow into the cylinder head and becomes steam. This steam is the white smoke that you see that comes out from the exhaust of car.

To prevent these issues from occurring, follow your manufacturer recommended service intervals as well as your oil change schedule. At RPM Autoworx, the oil change process includes a full inspection (as well as tire rotation, topping off fluids and checking brakes) so we can visually inspect for any of these potential problems.

When brakes are applied to stop vehicles, metal debris breaks off the pads of the brakes. While dust from the brake pad is normal, excessive amounts can signal a potential problem. If large amounts of brake dust are appearing around the brakes and wheels, the buildup can result in poor brake function, vibration and shorter life of the brake pad.

TYPE OF BRAKES

The material that the brakes are made from can cause excess dust. According to Consumer Reports, brakes made from organic materials like glass and rubber wear faster and create dust. Ceramic brake pads can be more expensive but offer the best of all worlds.

These pads use ceramic compounds and copper fibers in place of the semi-metallic pad’s steel fibers. This allows the ceramic pads to handle high brake temperatures with less heat fade, provide faster recovery after the stop, and generate less dust and wear on both the pads and rotors. And from a comfort standpoint, ceramic compounds provide much quieter braking because the ceramic compound helps dampen noise by generating a frequency beyond the human hearing range.

Another characteristic that makes ceramic materials attractive is the absence of noticeable dust. All brake pads produce dust as they wear. The ingredients in ceramic compounds produce a light colored dust that is much less noticeable and less likely to stick to the wheels. Consequently, wheels and tires maintain a cleaner appearance longer.

POOR BRAKE REPAIR

Brakes that haven’t been correctly installed on the caliper and are too close to the disc or drum cause excess brake dust. Brakes are designed to be a certain distance from the rotors; when they are too close, the pressure on the brakes is increased where they connect.

WORN SPRINGS

When brakes are applied to stop a vehicle, hydraulic fluid pushes the brakes against the rotors and when the brakes are released springs pull the pads back off. The springs can wear out and loss their ability to completely take the pads off the rotors causing constant rubbing. If the pads are always touching the drums, more dust than normal will come off.

WHEEL SIZE

Lots of people like to change the diameter of their wheels to make the car higher off the ground. Brakes have to be increased in size as well with bigger wheels so the car can still stop properly. Brake pads that are too small for the car will wear out quicker than brake pads that are correctly designed for the vehicle. The extra wear from small pads on large wheels will increase the amount of dust coming off because brakes have to work harder to stop the car.

When it comes to propane, most people think about it as a fuel for their hot water and barbecue grills yet it has a much broader application. Propane is already the fuel of choice for thousands of forklifts, taxis, and school buses in the US; It is the third most common vehicular fuel, with over 8 million vehicles worldwide using it.
LPG already has an infrastructure of pipelines and processing storage facilities, putting propane way ahead of the curve for efficient distribution compared to other alternative fuels. This fuel is readily available in over 3,000 filling stations in the US. Additonally, AutoGas distributors will install filling stations at no charge on a business property if you provide the concrete slab. There is a 30% tax credit up to $30k for installing a propane filling station.

Propane doesn’t require a high temperature (over 400 degrees Fahrenheit for gasoline) for it to atomize. This improves cold starts, emissions, and drive-ability. Propane is a stable fuel; it doesn’t go bad if you don’t use it!

Because LPG vaporizes when released from the tank and is not water soluble, LPG does not pollute underground water source. Refueling a propane vehicle is similar to filling a gas grill tank; the time it takes is comparable with that needed to fill a CNG, gasoline or diesel fuel tank.

Its high octane rating enables it to mix better with air and to burn more completely than does gasoline, generating less carbon. With less carbon buildup, spark plugs often last longer and oil changes are needed less frequently. This results in less corrosion and engine wear than from gasoline.

One gallon of LPG contains less energy than a gallon of gasoline. The driving range of a propane vehicle is about 10 percent lower than a comparable gasoline-powered vehicle. For a 20 gallon tank, you lose 2% of your MPG.

But, propane has one of the highest energy densities of all alternative fuels, so propane vehicles go farther on a tank of fuel. It is also an exceptionally safe fuel: propane tanks are 20 times more puncture resistant than gasoline tanks, and propane has the lowest flammability range of all alternative fuels.

Propane is a gas at normal temperatures and pressures. The fuel tank is pressurized to around 300 pounds per square inch—about twice the pressure as in an inflated truck tire. Under this pressure, propane becomes a liquid with an energy density 270 times greater than the gaseous form. This reduces the volatility that was experienced with older propane conversion kits. Propane systems today have no more chance of blowing up than a regular gas tank.

The United States imports more than 60% of its petroleum, two thirds of which is used to fuel vehicles in the form of gasoline and diesel. The demand for petroleum imports is increasing. With much of the worldwide petroleum reserves located in politically volatile countries, the United States is vulnerable to supply disruptions. Since 90% of propane is created in the US, it allows us to maintain the independence we all cherish.

Gas to Propane Conversion Kits are now available for most vehicles. The newest conversion kits allow the vehicle to switch back and forth between LPG and Gasoline seamlessly with no interaction from driver required.

A professional attitude, teamwork, self motivation as well as industry experience/certifications are a must. Brief job descriptions can be viewed on the careers page. Call or come by to discuss.