Keeping It Clean

There is some confusion about whether or not you have to wax a car that has clear coat paint on it. The short answer is yes.

Clear coat is actually a see-through layer of paint that adds gloss to a finish and protects the colored undercoat. It is subject to damage from dirt, pollutants in our air, chemicals in our wash products and water and ultraviolet rays from sun light.

The clear coat is only a few “mils” thick, about like a piece of paper. It doesn’t take much wear and tear to go completely through a clear coat. We have all seen cars with the paint looking dull on the upper surfaces, or the primer actually showing through. This is from clear coat damage. Once the clear is penetrated the undercoat will wear extremely fast.

Waxing the car twice a year will do a lot to prevent this damage and keep your car looking new for a long time.
There are many very easy to use waxes available today. A soft liquid wax works very well and is easy to apply and remove. Follow the directions on the product, but in general be sure to apply it to a clean surface and not in direct sunlight.

Washing the car before waxing is important, but what you use to wash it is just as critical. Do not use kitchen soaps. They are designed to cut grease and those chemicals can be destructive to car finishes. Use a detergent formulated for cars. They are readily available at your local NAPA store, or any good auto parts outlet.

At our shop we use McQuire’s automotive car wash and wax. They are easy to use, safe on the finish and readily available.

Take Your Records With You

Are you moving soon? It is considered to be one of the most stressful life events. There is so much to remember, to get done besides just packing up the furniture and moving it. One of the things that is often overlooked is your car repair records.

If you have been doing business with a quality auto repair facility, like Freedom Automotive, it is no big deal to get a copy of everything that has been done to your cars. The new computer management systems allow us top print out every repair done to any of your vehicles at the shop.

This will serve a couple of good purposes. The new shop you chose will have a record of what has been done, so that they will know what needs to be done in the future and can help you continue on a good maintenance program. It will also allow you to know if a needed repair may be under warranty by your previous shop.

If you know you will be moving soon contact you repair shop and have them provide you with a complete vehicle history.

The Key is…

The key to your car is not a key anymore; well at least it is not “just” a key. It is a small micro-processor that includes a transponder or transmitter. Many late model cars use the key as an individual identifier for the different drivers of the vehicle as well as the passive activation device for the on board alarm and security system.

Several years ago these smart keys began appearing on high end cars. Now they are available or standard equipment on many mid range vehicles offered by almost all the car makers. When you approach the vehicle they send a code to the on board computer that tells it to unlock the door. When you open the door it moves the seats, mirrors, radio, and climate control to your individual preferred settings. Many models do not even require you to insert the key in the dash, allowing you to start the car with a push of a button if the key is inside the car, even in your pocket or purse.

The objective of the smart key is to improve security while adding to your convenience and comfort. The draw backs are the complex technology and the exorbitant cost associated with key failures.

Inside one "Smart Key"

We used to be able to go to our local hardware store and for a couple of bucks have a spare key made that we then hid in a magnetic box someplace on the car. If we lost a key it was no big deal. Today these keys can cost from $40 to well over $200. If you try to hide one of them someplace in the car the theft system will think that there is an authorized driver in the car and disarm the security system allowing the thieves to just start and take your prized ride.

Even after the cost of buying a new key it will have to be programmed to match your car. This requires a special programmer for each vehicle make that is only found at the dealer or one of the better independent shops. (Freedom has it for most of the domestic and Asian cars)

Because these smart keys interact with so many systems on the car it is often necessary to reprogram the security system after repairing a seemingly unrelated part of the vehicle. We recently replaced a transmission in a Ford Escape and had to reprogram the theft system when we were finished. Most cars require that the technician have 2 keys to perform the reprogramming. If your second key is lost or unavailable because your spouse is out of town with it you may have to buy a second key.

On some vehicles if both keys are lost you may have to replace the computer in order to reprogram new keys. This can run as high as $2000.

When you buy a new car you get 2 keys. We suggest that you immediately get a third key to put away someplace safe. You may even negotiate with the dealer to furnish it to you.

One more VERY important thing to remember, many stores have electronic pads that they use to desensitize those little ant-shoplifting tags in merchandize, if you lay your smart key on that pad your car may not start when you get in to go.   Treat your keys like they are credit cards…place them nowhere near any magnetic source…they might lose their mind!