In this episode, host Phil Tower speaks with automotive experts Al Schwinkendorf, and John Puhek. Al and John are both ASE certified automotive technicians with Verburg’s Automotive in Grand Rapids.
Al and John are also hosts with Michigan's Auto Talk Podcast …a Grand Rapids-based podcast for car and truck lovers, backyard mechanics, and automotive enthusiasts.
They joined Phil on this program to talk about the five most common mistakes that car owners make, and how to avoid them.
More: Troubleshooting Common Car Problems With Napa Auto
More: Verburg's Automotive
Al and John are also hosts with Michigan's Auto Talk Podcast …a Grand Rapids-based podcast for car and truck lovers, backyard mechanics, and automotive enthusiasts.
They joined Phil on this program to talk about the five most common mistakes that car owners make, and how to avoid them.
More: Troubleshooting Common Car Problems With Napa Auto
More: Verburg's Automotive
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is iHeartRadio's West Michigan Weekend. West Michigan Weekend is
a weekly program designed to win form and enlightened on
a wide range of public policy issues, as well as
news and current events. Now here's your host, Phil Tower.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
This is West Michigan Weekend from iHeartRadio, and thank you
so much for tuning in. We are on location this week.
We're taking the show on the road these last couple
of weeks. We're at Meyer Gardens recently, and we are
dedicating this full program on the last weekend of April
twenty twenty five to everything Automotive. We have brought in
(00:41):
a couple of automotive ringers. They are Elschwinkendorf John Puick
formerly you knew them a few years ago on Wood
Radio's host of the Auto Talk Show. They're also hosted
the Auto Talk podcast, which has been on the world's
longest hiatus a little over. I checked it was two years.
For our full disclosure, the three of us have been
(01:03):
producing those. We did ninety nine episodes and we stopped.
And I can't blame Al, I can't blame John. It
was really my fault because I just got too busy.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Can I blame you, al is that all you can
But you know the fact of the matter is that
when it comes to the technicalities of it all, it's
all about you.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
John and I are just car guys.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
You're just car guys. And I do this because I
love it. But we brought you into the West Michigan
Weekend Program because even in twenty twenty five, even with YouTube,
people are still doing really dumb things with their cars.
They're making mistakes that are costing them lots of money.
I'm hearing about engines that are blowing like at eighty
five and ninety thousand miles because right after a warranty, yeah,
(01:46):
right after, so you.
Speaker 5 (01:48):
Go, Or if you're a newer GM six to zero owner,
you don't even get out of a lot and that
ring spins and you're done.
Speaker 6 (01:56):
But that's a whole other story.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Wait a minute, we're gonna there are new cars with
engine issues.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Way earlier than that. Oh yes, very bad.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
All right, Well, I don't know if we want to
name names. Just now, just be before warned. And we
have a list of the biggest mistakes that car owners
are making. And this is very relevant here in twenty
twenty five. This is not like pulled from you know,
your grandfather's automotive repair book, some really basic dumb stuff.
(02:26):
John and Al are the principals, and Al is the
guy who's been here at Verberg's Automotive. You hear Al
with Steve Kelly on West Michigan's Morning News on Wood Radio,
A longtime contributor there. How many years is this here
at Burberg's Just over forty four? Forty four years? You
started as a high school student. I started when I
(02:47):
was sixteen sixteen. You're going to take this over someday, yes,
he is, all right, Well that's the plan. That's the plan.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
I'm going home. He's going to mail me a check
every month.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yeah, that's a good deal. Good, Yeah, that's a good deal.
There's some dumb stuff. And if you are owning a
car probably other than electric, ninety nine percent of this
applies to you. And even if you've gotten ev still
a lot of this applies to you. One of the
biggest ones that a lot of people still don't get
(03:16):
either they do it too much. The biggest mistake at
the top of the list is skipping oil changes or
not doing them more as frequently as they need to.
Every owner's manual. Every car is different. Someone told me
there's not their traditional break in like there used to be. Correct,
that is, that's gone, okay, Why did that change?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Because of tolerances and machining. And they're built more precisely.
Speaker 5 (03:44):
Well exactly, and when they because they are built more precisely,
they do a more extensive break in procedure at the
plan before it even rolls off the line. So there
is no the equivalent of half inch gap. No, it's
all ready right on the mark, so you don't have
that break in period. And I think it's funny as
(04:06):
we you know, come on and regarding on which side
you look at the politics of the aisle. Everyone's kind
of freaking about the what's going to happen in the future.
And the biggest thing you can do is not go
over any oil changes. Check the oil.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
Now.
Speaker 5 (04:22):
I know some of the manufacturers, I still remember. I'm
sure there's ones higher. But a certain smaller europan vehicle
says every ten thousand year good, and that to me
is a little high. They don't know the driving conditions,
they don't know the driving habits, the client, the climate,
you know, cold, hot, what have you? Right, But I
(04:44):
think oil is the one big thing that can save
your engine for the cheapest amount, because it's not only
just lubricating and cleaning the engine anymore. It's now for
engine performance. With variable valve timing, with the direct injection systems,
times they will variable the output of the pump, and
there's there's a lot more to your oil. So it's
(05:07):
not just oh, I can go over a couple thousand.
The people that say that right around eighty ninety, wouldn't
you agree? That's when it's like, oh, you're starting to
see some big issues.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
We used to govern engine drive ability stuff by vacuum,
and nowadays everything's more hydraulic and driven by oil. So
you've got like a fifty thousand mile powertrain warranty and
they tell you can change your oil. It's a sales tool. Oh,
(05:39):
you only have to service this car every twenty thousand miles.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
However, once you're at.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Sixty thousand miles and the thing blows up.
Speaker 6 (05:48):
It's on you.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
Rude. Yeah, thirty grand, we'll put a new engine in it.
Y'll send you down the roads.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
You're out of your warrant. Yeah, yah. So it's safe
tolerance to look at. This is probably six thousand and
five to six thousand, depending on what you have.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
We tell people, and there's very very few cars we
work on nowadays that use regular so.
Speaker 7 (06:09):
Called conventional conventional synthetic conventional oil every three thousand, and
if you tell them three thousand, they get it done
by four or forty five hundred, which.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Because everybody over rides that, including my daughter. If you're listening, Leah.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
That is you just shouted out of it.
Speaker 7 (06:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
But and if we do synthetic, I think the.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
Four no five sorry, and that's okay, and if it.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
Goes to six, you know whatever. But you got to
think about it and do.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
It because oil changes are cheap compared to replacing engines exactly.
Speaker 6 (06:50):
Now.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
I know the and I've been to multiple classes on it,
and I understand their strategy. But the newer imports are
going like zero sixteen. Yeah, like very very thing. It
sounds like you can if the shop is quiet, the
air compressor isn't running. When you pour that oil, you
can hear it hit the oil. It sounds like water. Yeah,
(07:10):
and you're just like you're telling me in the in
the winter time, this is good.
Speaker 6 (07:16):
Like Michigan winners, there was good.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
We're talking about the density or viscosity of sorry sorrycosity
of the oil. And it's thinner than ever because it's
been refined so much and technically advanced so much.
Speaker 5 (07:30):
Well that and the passages that the oil travels through
are much tighter, and so you can't put a.
Speaker 6 (07:40):
Exactly. You can't put like a five five.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
W thirty W fifty exactly.
Speaker 6 (07:46):
Yeah, yeah, no, no, no. You got your diesel hotel
laying around.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
A neighboring town that service the Ford Interceptor police cars
and when the four point six four engine came out,
they typically the police department wanted twenty fifty in them
because they thought that was heavy and it was good
and everything else. And they put them in it, and
it pumped the lifters up so hard that that those
didn't close and the engines wouldn't run.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
And that's a fact. Wow, I mean yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
They ruined some police cars because of that.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Well, they drained them out and they put the thin
stuff in it, and everything was okay. But I will
tell you that my former partner he went in and
changed his oil and he put five point twenty in it,
which was thin at the time.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
And like John said, now we're doing zero sixteen zero eight, yeah, yeah, exactly, yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
All that stuff and you pour it in and you
hear it hitting the bottom of the pan and it's
just like, oh my gosh, I can hear it go down.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
You know, it's it's crazy.
Speaker 8 (08:46):
But you got to use the oil that they recommend
on it, and you have to change it regularly. And
that is that is the number one mistake that people make.
It's right on the top of the list, and there's
the reason why.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
And it's cheaper than an engine rebuild.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
Oh exactly, and it's as long as it's what the
manufacturer recommends. So if something does go south, you can say, nope,
this is what you recommended. So I'm being penalized for
doing it early. There's no room I stand on that.
So you should be covered in that espect.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
And when a customer comes into Verberg's or a similar
type independent automotive dealer, that customer is going to be
told here's what the manufacturer recommends. We're going to say this,
and that's why you do this with a professional. The
days of changing your oil at home are really not advised.
It's not easy, it's messy. It can be done on
(09:40):
some cars unless you've got a forty year old vehicle
where it's super super easy. And I would assume we're
going to get into this in a moment because people
are keeping their cars longer. I would assume you said
traditional oil that some of you guys, some of your
customers are driving thirty year old vehicle that are their
(10:01):
daily drivers still enough.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
Yeah, that's correct.
Speaker 5 (10:04):
And for those they understand if you have an old
Chevy Big Block or some monster for it, you're not
going to put zero eight in there.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
Zero You know.
Speaker 6 (10:15):
They know by then, So all.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Right, Number two on the list ignoring warning lights. John
puick Al Schrinkedorf with us from Berberg's Automotives that were
covering your spring and year round automotive maintenance. You were
saying earlier that cars today are like a Christmas tree
on the dash. They've got high tech dashes to begin with,
a lot of things come on. These are relevant things
(10:39):
beyond low oil or things like that. Some of them
with an engine could be pretty serious. But how do
you know how to ignose those? They come on.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
First and foremost.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
If you got to check engine light on, it's not
the end of the world, but you need to find
out what it's all about, and if it's flashing, you've
got an issue.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
They do that on purpose.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
The reason that your checking the light will flash is
because thes is misfiring and it's putting raw fuel into
the Catillac converter that will burn that up, and then
the dealer has to cover it for the first eighty
thousand miles. If it's just on, it's probably just an
emissions thing, which is government mandated. But there's so many
(11:20):
lights that, you know, people go, well, it's been fine
for so long and this and that, and it's like
maybe it's an aldernagor light and the battery's not getting
charged and it's fine for three weeks and then all
of a sudden the car won't start and then they say, oh, yeah,
by the way, that light.
Speaker 4 (11:37):
Was on for the last three months, and we're just
like okay.
Speaker 5 (11:40):
You and they they've really started, especially with the touchscreen
dashes and you have like your old traditional ND two
thousands dash. We'd always see a lot of people that
would have a little black electrical tape over the little
section of the light because oh, yeah, I know, I
know what that is. It's fine and it's just one light.
Oh the break light. Well, that's because my parking brake
(12:03):
pedal it slips and you know, I got some zip ties,
but I just put the light over there.
Speaker 6 (12:07):
But it's fine.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
But now the newer ones, especially with the touchscreen and
everything being interactive, they tend to light up the whole dash,
like I said, like a Christmas tree because they're tired
of people ignoring it. So if you have a check
engine light, I know on certain late model suber Rus
it turns on the abs your cruise, it cuts your
crews off. On a lot of the vehicles, if you're
(12:30):
checking the remote start is off and it lights everything
up so it looks like a Christmas tree.
Speaker 6 (12:36):
And then you go in.
Speaker 5 (12:37):
There and you're like, oh, you know, best case scenario,
this hose was a little loose on your evat purge
valve or whatever. You fix that clear the check engine light,
the dash goes completely, you know, a way back to normal.
So I think they're trying to do that to get
the customer's attention a little bit more. So you can't
put that little black sticker over it.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Is there one light that you know? Okay, I got
to literally get off the road as soon as I
can and call my service person and get this scheduled.
Is there one or that depends on the model.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
I think for the most part L said it, if
the check engine light's flashing, that's a serious thing.
Speaker 6 (13:12):
You're doing damage to the engine.
Speaker 5 (13:14):
All the other lights. From what I've seen, you're either
going to have engine performance issues. So like you'll know like, oh, hey,
I can only go over fifty. Like you talk to
any Ford diesel guy with the deaf system and they
give you the warning messages, yoh you've got thirty miles ago,
I'm fine, I'm fine, and then all of a sudden
it gives you power reduction. That's one thing, but that's
(13:35):
on you. If there's a message, you just got to
pay attention to it. But I think in terms of
leaving you stranded on the side of the road, the
flashing check engine light's going to be your main one
unless you've.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Yeah yeah, yeah. And if you're driving a vehicle that's
been made in the last five to seven years, chances
are you're going to have a computer that's going to
take over and make make sure that engine is not
blown up or it's going to start. Like you said
in the Diesel shutting some things down.
Speaker 5 (14:05):
For the most part, they'll put them in like what
they call limp mode where you can only go so
long or so far. But I still wouldn't rely on
that if you have a light swing by your local
shop that you have a you know, the biggest thing,
a good reputation with you.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Know, have checked so from there.
Speaker 7 (14:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Yeah. The third biggest mistake on our list of the
ten biggest car ten biggest mistakes car owners make is
failing to do your regular tire maintenance, which is simple
stuff like putting air in your tires when they're low,
visually inspecting them, having an air gauge and one that
is reliable, but keeping them at the properly recommended tire
(14:48):
inflation level if it's thirty two psi or thirty eight psi.
Doing that and then the other one, which a lot
of people don't do. I've talked to a lot of
people that don't do this, or maybe they do it,
maybe every twenty five thousand miles. They don't rotate their tires,
and you're not going to get seventy thousand miles out
of your Michelins or eighty five thousand if you don't
(15:10):
rotate not at all.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Yeah, I've got a twenty twenty two Ford that came
with Michelins. And the tires that are made for the
manufacturers versus the tires I replaced them with are two
totally different things.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
As far as tire manufacturers have.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
They put out an expected life. Yeah, sold life, it
says Michelin and everything else. But they make them as
cheap as they possibly can to sell. The manufacturers because
they have you know, they sell zillions of them. I
told the tire guy when I bought them, I didn't
want those because I thought they were junk, that they
only lasted thirty.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Six thousand miles.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
You know, we have customers who have Michelins on their
cars that have gone eighty thousand miles and they go, yeah,
well they're just junk tires they make for the manufactur
extras and they.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
Go from there.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Every morning when I stop at my gas station and
get a cup of coffee, they are the same people
at that air pump every day. Well it's free air
man up the right.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
Front tire for a buck twenty five.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
It's just like everything has alloy wheels nowadays. They oxidize
different than steel. They leak, they're a problem.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
That's why you see a lot.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Of Grandma's and Grandpa's drive around with mag wheels on
their cars, on their Cadillacs and Lincoln's and stuff, just
because there they're wheels rotted away. Because we live in Michigan.
They leak and you just can't fix them. You can
try as hard as you want, but they don't do it.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
So that's interesting. So the alloy with the salt on
the road and everything else you have leaks that because.
Speaker 5 (16:54):
Of the way worse than the new tires and rims
for that.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Yeah, John Strucks right here, he just got He just
spent a zillion dollars buying tires and rims because they
just leak.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Yep, you're talking about like typical aluminum alloy.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
Yep.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
They were from the factory. And you know, I'd put
new tires on it. I've got close to over two
hundred on it. Every other week, I would have to
air them all up, and I would break them down,
I'd clean off the rims, I'd put tire ceiling on them,
I put them back on, I bounce them, but they
still just would start to go. And so when the
(17:33):
tread finally went on them, I forget it. I'm just
getting new ones. I'm doing it differently so I don't
have to have that, and ever since then I haven't
had any issues with them. But that's just something more
long living in Michigan or the rust belt where just
that's what happens with those.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
I think a lot of people hearing us on the
radio though may not be aware of that, or they
were aware of it. I've heard of corrosion around the
tire pressure monitoring sensors and having to have those replaced.
But the wheel and the alloy wheel issues, especially in
a climate like Michigan where they're throwing literally saw hundreds
(18:09):
of tons of salt on the road. That makes sense
because that's going to create a lot of issues. That
seal that would normally be tightly beaded from when your
tires went on, that could be very easily eaten away
because of that salt and no water in the snow
and the grime and all that. So makes a lot
of sense. And ultate your tires every five to seven thousand, just.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Going to save yourself some money. Tires aren't cheap like
it used to be. You know, you could take two
hundred bucks and go down to the tires store on
Saturday morning and get new tires.
Speaker 4 (18:38):
Put on the car. And that's not the case in
thousand now.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
And this all started with the Fort Explorer thing when
fires there was that ex I know, and they were
at their fire stone bridge stones.
Speaker 4 (18:52):
They were excellent. They also put them on.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
Oldsmobile Bravadas and stuff like that, and those things will
go eighty ninety thousand miles. The problem was is that
the carcass would come apart, even though they still had
tread wheneverything else.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
They just they'd fall apart.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
And so the government decided that I think it was
two thousand and eight, it was mandatory to have the
tire pressure monitoring system.
Speaker 4 (19:19):
Put on them. That's come a long way.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
It's gone from wheel speed sensors where they go, oh
this tire's going slower than that one, and they've come up
to what we have today.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
It's not easy.
Speaker 5 (19:31):
I mean no, I think in the once the software
was implemented and like that initial cost is over. I
think it's I mean, we've got generic TSPs. I'll back
that are fine. But two real quick things I want
to add about the tires. A lot of people in Michigan.
Like to do summer and snow tires, and I know.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
We've got it. We've got an episode on that in Auto.
Speaker 6 (19:57):
Talk where I think we argued a whole episode. Yes,
I just wonder.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Just back this up real Auto talk podcast, by the way,
just look it up wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
Just because you've only had two seasons of summer or
winter tires, check the tread before you put them on.
I can't tell you how many times I've taken off
summer tires that have more tread than the winter tires
that I'm putting on. Secondly, check the actual pressure specifications
on the door sill.
Speaker 6 (20:24):
When you open up your driver's door. There's gonna be
a little tad by the life.
Speaker 5 (20:28):
So many people just put, oh, thirty five, that's fine,
and then they come in, especially the all wheel drive ones,
and like, why are my wears, you know, rear tires
wearing uneven or what have you in your look and
you're like, well, that's supposed to be at forty three,
that's supposed to be at thirty four, And because you
put them at thirty five, you're checking that transfer case
up and causing some issues. So check your tread depth.
(20:50):
And check your tire pressures.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
And that's a very very important part. I would say
that ninety nine percent of the cars who were.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
Or either front wheel drive or all wheel drive.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
And there's a lot of all wheel drive vehicles out
there that have different pressures front and rear. And if
you don't have those pressures in those tires, you're going
to buy a PTUs.
Speaker 5 (21:13):
PTUs if it's evol those an angle gear angle get
a little to you our transfer output. It's basically the
equivalent of the front differential that's built into the transmission
that shoots it out to the.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
So the takeaway here, you can you can mess up
a power takeoff unit just by not having your tire
pressures right.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Yeah, So check that especially. I've got an all wheel
drive carp different tire pressures for the front, different tolerances
there than the rear. We are coming up on our
last couple of moments in the program, as we go
through the list of the biggest mistake car owners make,
and this is today in twenty twenty five, and things
we've been doing a long time. Number four, which is
(21:57):
parts using the wrong parts or low quality parts. At
number five, ignoring fluid levels and leaks. Well, let's finish
on parts. I want to talk about fluid levels and leaks.
You still do need to check your oil. Even though
you've got lights and everything. It's good to check your oil. Still.
The conventional wisdom is checking when the oil is cool
(22:21):
or is it okay to check it after the engine
is run. If you've got a car that's in the
last five to ten years, what do you guys say.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
Well, there's a ton of them out there that don't
even have a dipstick anymore.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
You got to push some buttons on the dash to
make it.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Yes, I've got one of those and read it.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
Yeah, you do.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
You know, like if you're checking your oil and you're
checking your coolant and stuff like that, you do that
in the morning before you take off, in my opinion,
because levels rise and lower depending on engine temperature, and
it's all about having the proper a mount in there.
You know, you got a little drip on the ground.
Speaker 4 (22:56):
Okay, Well, here's the deal.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
If it's leaking, you're going to get at some point,
especially if you're like most of our customers who never
change your oil. You have to watch it and you
got to keep it up because that's the life blood
that it's the blood of your vehicle and it's critical.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
And it could be a transmission yellow leak as well.
It could be break fluid. You just need to understand
that checking those levels are important. If you've got a
newer car, it as al just said, it could be
something you check on the dash you've got x percent
of oil life remaining trains.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
And also too with that oil in terms of you know,
temperature cold hot. With a lot of the ones that
check through the dash, it needs to be ran for
a little bit. You gotta let it idle so that
one okay exactly yeah, or you get right of the range.
And the same thing with the transmission fluid level. A
lot of times they don't have the dipsticks, but we've
got to run it up to you know, one hundred
and forty four celsius.
Speaker 6 (23:55):
What have you pulled the plug out? Make sure it drains.
Speaker 5 (23:57):
So unfortunately for the average guy, you're going to have
to probably go to a shop. If the car's been
within maybe six or so years, you're probably gonna have
to go to a shop that can get it up
on a hoist with a scanner and a tool to
look at that fluor dravels.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
But yeah, and if your shop tells you you're low
on blinker fluid, you need to find another shop. Is
to find another shop. We're with Al Schwinkedorf, John Puick.
They are the Michigan's Auto Talk podcast guys. Also Verberg's
Automotive is where you'll find them, and you hear al
frequently in Western Michigan's Borning News on wood Radio. The
(24:32):
last one I want to touch on. You've got a
lot of other things in here, not replacing filters. You've
got battery care, break inspections, suspension and alignment, and the
obvious one of postponing the maintenance that you're supposed to have.
But the last one is a lot of people buy
a car at a dealer but then have it serviced
at Verberg's or a similar type automotive repair spot, trusted
(24:55):
in business for a long time. We've got a lot
of them, you guys are still a Nappa store, a
lot of them around Grand Rapids. Parts people wonder, you know,
how do I know if I'm getting a good part
versus a cheap part? Can I use a re manufactured part?
I've got about a minute left, so I don't want
to take too much long. And this what's the conventional
(25:16):
wisdom on parts, especially if you need to replace something.
Speaker 4 (25:20):
Reman if they're from the right company, is fine.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Re manufacturer. Yeah, okay, I will.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
Tell you that a lot of times our aftermarket part.
Here's the thing that people don't understand is that auto
manufacturers aren't like they used to be, where they made
all the parts and did everything. There's companies out there
that make them for them. We look at value versus.
Every job we do is risk and reward.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
Good point.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
We can go do this job for you, and we
can save you this money to do this, and we've
got a good warranty behind it.
Speaker 4 (25:54):
That's how we look at things.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Here, pretty simple. And that's what you're going to recommend.
You Ever give John, You ever give custom the old parts,
they ever want those, just to look at them.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
They're allowed to by law.
Speaker 6 (26:04):
Yeah, by a low we have to. Normally we don't
see that a whole.
Speaker 4 (26:07):
No, we throw them in the trash. Nobody wants to
take a greasy balls ry home. But we got them
if they want them, because we have to.
Speaker 5 (26:13):
And there's just real quick, I know we're short on time.
There's only been a few selects situations, and normally it's
when the manufacturer comes out and says, hey, look the
part that we put on this failed. Don't reuse this,
or you know, you have to get an updated part.
That's the only time when I would say, oh no,
the dealer has a or the manufacturer has a part
(26:33):
that fixes this issue, because if we get a reman
it's going to have the same issue.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
But that's the point few and far between. Good point.
Al Schwinkerdorf, John Puick from Verberg's Automotive. We have been
hopefully here to save you a lot of money in
this episode of What's Michigan Weekend on repairing your car,
on doing it right and not neglecting necessary maintenance. They're
also a host of Michigan's auto talk podcast wherever you
gets your podcast, which is relaunching. Stay tuned for details.
(27:02):
That's our program this week. Thank you so much, guys,
thanks for coming out. We appreciate it very much. They've
been our guest on this edition of West Michigan Weekend
from iHeartRadio. That's our program. Have a great week.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
You've been listening to iHeartRadio's West Michigan Weekend. West Michigan
Weekend is a production of Wood Radio and iHeartRadio.
This is iHeartRadio's West Michigan Weekend. West Michigan Weekend is
a weekly program designed to win form and enlightened on
a wide range of public policy issues, as well as
news and current events. Now here's your host, Phil Tower.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
This is West Michigan Weekend from iHeartRadio, and thank you
so much for tuning in. We are on location this week.
We're taking the show on the road these last couple
of weeks. We're at Meyer Gardens recently, and we are
dedicating this full program on the last weekend of April
twenty twenty five to everything Automotive. We have brought in
(00:41):
a couple of automotive ringers. They are Elschwinkendorf John Puick
formerly you knew them a few years ago on Wood
Radio's host of the Auto Talk Show. They're also hosted
the Auto Talk podcast, which has been on the world's
longest hiatus a little over. I checked it was two years.
For our full disclosure, the three of us have been
(01:03):
producing those. We did ninety nine episodes and we stopped.
And I can't blame Al, I can't blame John. It
was really my fault because I just got too busy.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
Can I blame you, al is that all you can
But you know the fact of the matter is that
when it comes to the technicalities of it all, it's
all about you.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
John and I are just car guys.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
You're just car guys. And I do this because I
love it. But we brought you into the West Michigan
Weekend Program because even in twenty twenty five, even with YouTube,
people are still doing really dumb things with their cars.
They're making mistakes that are costing them lots of money.
I'm hearing about engines that are blowing like at eighty
five and ninety thousand miles because right after a warranty, yeah,
(01:46):
right after, so you.
Speaker 5 (01:48):
Go, Or if you're a newer GM six to zero owner,
you don't even get out of a lot and that
ring spins and you're done.
Speaker 6 (01:56):
But that's a whole other story.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Wait a minute, we're gonna there are new cars with
engine issues.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Way earlier than that. Oh yes, very bad.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
All right, Well, I don't know if we want to
name names. Just now, just be before warned. And we
have a list of the biggest mistakes that car owners
are making. And this is very relevant here in twenty
twenty five. This is not like pulled from you know,
your grandfather's automotive repair book, some really basic dumb stuff.
(02:26):
John and Al are the principals, and Al is the
guy who's been here at Verberg's Automotive. You hear Al
with Steve Kelly on West Michigan's Morning News on Wood Radio,
A longtime contributor there. How many years is this here
at Burberg's Just over forty four? Forty four years? You
started as a high school student. I started when I
(02:47):
was sixteen sixteen. You're going to take this over someday, yes,
he is, all right, Well that's the plan. That's the plan.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
I'm going home. He's going to mail me a check
every month.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yeah, that's a good deal. Good, Yeah, that's a good deal.
There's some dumb stuff. And if you are owning a
car probably other than electric, ninety nine percent of this
applies to you. And even if you've gotten ev still
a lot of this applies to you. One of the
biggest ones that a lot of people still don't get
(03:16):
either they do it too much. The biggest mistake at
the top of the list is skipping oil changes or
not doing them more as frequently as they need to.
Every owner's manual. Every car is different. Someone told me
there's not their traditional break in like there used to be. Correct,
that is, that's gone, okay, Why did that change?
Speaker 3 (03:37):
Because of tolerances and machining. And they're built more precisely.
Speaker 5 (03:44):
Well exactly, and when they because they are built more precisely,
they do a more extensive break in procedure at the
plan before it even rolls off the line. So there
is no the equivalent of half inch gap. No, it's
all ready right on the mark, so you don't have
that break in period. And I think it's funny as
(04:06):
we you know, come on and regarding on which side
you look at the politics of the aisle. Everyone's kind
of freaking about the what's going to happen in the future.
And the biggest thing you can do is not go
over any oil changes. Check the oil.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
Now.
Speaker 5 (04:22):
I know some of the manufacturers, I still remember. I'm
sure there's ones higher. But a certain smaller europan vehicle
says every ten thousand year good, and that to me
is a little high. They don't know the driving conditions,
they don't know the driving habits, the client, the climate,
you know, cold, hot, what have you? Right, But I
(04:44):
think oil is the one big thing that can save
your engine for the cheapest amount, because it's not only
just lubricating and cleaning the engine anymore. It's now for
engine performance. With variable valve timing, with the direct injection systems,
times they will variable the output of the pump, and
there's there's a lot more to your oil. So it's
(05:07):
not just oh, I can go over a couple thousand.
The people that say that right around eighty ninety, wouldn't
you agree? That's when it's like, oh, you're starting to
see some big issues.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
We used to govern engine drive ability stuff by vacuum,
and nowadays everything's more hydraulic and driven by oil. So
you've got like a fifty thousand mile powertrain warranty and
they tell you can change your oil. It's a sales tool. Oh,
(05:39):
you only have to service this car every twenty thousand miles.
Speaker 4 (05:42):
However, once you're at.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
Sixty thousand miles and the thing blows up.
Speaker 6 (05:48):
It's on you.
Speaker 4 (05:49):
Rude. Yeah, thirty grand, we'll put a new engine in it.
Y'll send you down the roads.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
You're out of your warrant. Yeah, yah. So it's safe
tolerance to look at. This is probably six thousand and
five to six thousand, depending on what you have.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
We tell people, and there's very very few cars we
work on nowadays that use regular so.
Speaker 7 (06:09):
Called conventional conventional synthetic conventional oil every three thousand, and
if you tell them three thousand, they get it done
by four or forty five hundred, which.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Because everybody over rides that, including my daughter. If you're listening, Leah.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
That is you just shouted out of it.
Speaker 7 (06:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
But and if we do synthetic, I think the.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
Four no five sorry, and that's okay, and if it.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
Goes to six, you know whatever. But you got to
think about it and do.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
It because oil changes are cheap compared to replacing engines exactly.
Speaker 6 (06:50):
Now.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
I know the and I've been to multiple classes on it,
and I understand their strategy. But the newer imports are
going like zero sixteen. Yeah, like very very thing. It
sounds like you can if the shop is quiet, the
air compressor isn't running. When you pour that oil, you
can hear it hit the oil. It sounds like water. Yeah,
(07:10):
and you're just like you're telling me in the in
the winter time, this is good.
Speaker 6 (07:16):
Like Michigan winners, there was good.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
We're talking about the density or viscosity of sorry sorrycosity
of the oil. And it's thinner than ever because it's
been refined so much and technically advanced so much.
Speaker 5 (07:30):
Well that and the passages that the oil travels through
are much tighter, and so you can't put a.
Speaker 6 (07:40):
Exactly. You can't put like a five five.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
W thirty W fifty exactly.
Speaker 6 (07:46):
Yeah, yeah, no, no, no. You got your diesel hotel
laying around.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
A neighboring town that service the Ford Interceptor police cars
and when the four point six four engine came out,
they typically the police department wanted twenty fifty in them
because they thought that was heavy and it was good
and everything else. And they put them in it, and
it pumped the lifters up so hard that that those
didn't close and the engines wouldn't run.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
And that's a fact. Wow, I mean yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
They ruined some police cars because of that.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Well, they drained them out and they put the thin
stuff in it, and everything was okay. But I will
tell you that my former partner he went in and
changed his oil and he put five point twenty in it,
which was thin at the time.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
And like John said, now we're doing zero sixteen zero eight, yeah, yeah, exactly, yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
All that stuff and you pour it in and you
hear it hitting the bottom of the pan and it's
just like, oh my gosh, I can hear it go down.
Speaker 4 (08:44):
You know, it's it's crazy.
Speaker 8 (08:46):
But you got to use the oil that they recommend
on it, and you have to change it regularly. And
that is that is the number one mistake that people make.
It's right on the top of the list, and there's
the reason why.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
And it's cheaper than an engine rebuild.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
Oh exactly, and it's as long as it's what the
manufacturer recommends. So if something does go south, you can say, nope,
this is what you recommended. So I'm being penalized for
doing it early. There's no room I stand on that.
So you should be covered in that espect.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
And when a customer comes into Verberg's or a similar
type independent automotive dealer, that customer is going to be
told here's what the manufacturer recommends. We're going to say this,
and that's why you do this with a professional. The
days of changing your oil at home are really not advised.
It's not easy, it's messy. It can be done on
(09:40):
some cars unless you've got a forty year old vehicle
where it's super super easy. And I would assume we're
going to get into this in a moment because people
are keeping their cars longer. I would assume you said
traditional oil that some of you guys, some of your
customers are driving thirty year old vehicle that are their
(10:01):
daily drivers still enough.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
Yeah, that's correct.
Speaker 5 (10:04):
And for those they understand if you have an old
Chevy Big Block or some monster for it, you're not
going to put zero eight in there.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
Zero You know.
Speaker 6 (10:15):
They know by then, So all.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Right, Number two on the list ignoring warning lights. John
puick Al Schrinkedorf with us from Berberg's Automotives that were
covering your spring and year round automotive maintenance. You were
saying earlier that cars today are like a Christmas tree
on the dash. They've got high tech dashes to begin with,
a lot of things come on. These are relevant things
(10:39):
beyond low oil or things like that. Some of them
with an engine could be pretty serious. But how do
you know how to ignose those? They come on.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
First and foremost.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
If you got to check engine light on, it's not
the end of the world, but you need to find
out what it's all about, and if it's flashing, you've
got an issue.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
They do that on purpose.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
The reason that your checking the light will flash is
because thes is misfiring and it's putting raw fuel into
the Catillac converter that will burn that up, and then
the dealer has to cover it for the first eighty
thousand miles. If it's just on, it's probably just an
emissions thing, which is government mandated. But there's so many
(11:20):
lights that, you know, people go, well, it's been fine
for so long and this and that, and it's like
maybe it's an aldernagor light and the battery's not getting
charged and it's fine for three weeks and then all
of a sudden the car won't start and then they say, oh, yeah,
by the way, that light.
Speaker 4 (11:37):
Was on for the last three months, and we're just
like okay.
Speaker 5 (11:40):
You and they they've really started, especially with the touchscreen
dashes and you have like your old traditional ND two
thousands dash. We'd always see a lot of people that
would have a little black electrical tape over the little
section of the light because oh, yeah, I know, I
know what that is. It's fine and it's just one light.
Oh the break light. Well, that's because my parking brake
(12:03):
pedal it slips and you know, I got some zip ties,
but I just put the light over there.
Speaker 6 (12:07):
But it's fine.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
But now the newer ones, especially with the touchscreen and
everything being interactive, they tend to light up the whole dash,
like I said, like a Christmas tree because they're tired
of people ignoring it. So if you have a check
engine light, I know on certain late model suber Rus
it turns on the abs your cruise, it cuts your
crews off. On a lot of the vehicles, if you're
(12:30):
checking the remote start is off and it lights everything
up so it looks like a Christmas tree.
Speaker 6 (12:36):
And then you go in.
Speaker 5 (12:37):
There and you're like, oh, you know, best case scenario,
this hose was a little loose on your evat purge
valve or whatever. You fix that clear the check engine light,
the dash goes completely, you know, a way back to normal.
So I think they're trying to do that to get
the customer's attention a little bit more. So you can't
put that little black sticker over it.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
Is there one light that you know? Okay, I got
to literally get off the road as soon as I
can and call my service person and get this scheduled.
Is there one or that depends on the model.
Speaker 5 (13:07):
I think for the most part L said it, if
the check engine light's flashing, that's a serious thing.
Speaker 6 (13:12):
You're doing damage to the engine.
Speaker 5 (13:14):
All the other lights. From what I've seen, you're either
going to have engine performance issues. So like you'll know like, oh, hey,
I can only go over fifty. Like you talk to
any Ford diesel guy with the deaf system and they
give you the warning messages, yoh you've got thirty miles ago,
I'm fine, I'm fine, and then all of a sudden
it gives you power reduction. That's one thing, but that's
(13:35):
on you. If there's a message, you just got to
pay attention to it. But I think in terms of
leaving you stranded on the side of the road, the
flashing check engine light's going to be your main one
unless you've.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Yeah yeah, yeah. And if you're driving a vehicle that's
been made in the last five to seven years, chances
are you're going to have a computer that's going to
take over and make make sure that engine is not
blown up or it's going to start. Like you said
in the Diesel shutting some things down.
Speaker 5 (14:05):
For the most part, they'll put them in like what
they call limp mode where you can only go so
long or so far. But I still wouldn't rely on
that if you have a light swing by your local
shop that you have a you know, the biggest thing,
a good reputation with you.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
Know, have checked so from there.
Speaker 7 (14:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Yeah. The third biggest mistake on our list of the
ten biggest car ten biggest mistakes car owners make is
failing to do your regular tire maintenance, which is simple
stuff like putting air in your tires when they're low,
visually inspecting them, having an air gauge and one that
is reliable, but keeping them at the properly recommended tire
(14:48):
inflation level if it's thirty two psi or thirty eight psi.
Doing that and then the other one, which a lot
of people don't do. I've talked to a lot of
people that don't do this, or maybe they do it,
maybe every twenty five thousand miles. They don't rotate their tires,
and you're not going to get seventy thousand miles out
of your Michelins or eighty five thousand if you don't
(15:10):
rotate not at all.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
Yeah, I've got a twenty twenty two Ford that came
with Michelins. And the tires that are made for the
manufacturers versus the tires I replaced them with are two
totally different things.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
As far as tire manufacturers have.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
They put out an expected life. Yeah, sold life, it
says Michelin and everything else. But they make them as
cheap as they possibly can to sell. The manufacturers because
they have you know, they sell zillions of them. I
told the tire guy when I bought them, I didn't
want those because I thought they were junk, that they
only lasted thirty.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Six thousand miles.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
You know, we have customers who have Michelins on their
cars that have gone eighty thousand miles and they go, yeah,
well they're just junk tires they make for the manufactur
extras and they.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
Go from there.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Every morning when I stop at my gas station and
get a cup of coffee, they are the same people
at that air pump every day. Well it's free air
man up the right.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
Front tire for a buck twenty five.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
It's just like everything has alloy wheels nowadays. They oxidize
different than steel. They leak, they're a problem.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
That's why you see a lot.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
Of Grandma's and Grandpa's drive around with mag wheels on
their cars, on their Cadillacs and Lincoln's and stuff, just
because there they're wheels rotted away. Because we live in Michigan.
They leak and you just can't fix them. You can
try as hard as you want, but they don't do it.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
So that's interesting. So the alloy with the salt on
the road and everything else you have leaks that because.
Speaker 5 (16:54):
Of the way worse than the new tires and rims
for that.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Yeah, John Strucks right here, he just got He just
spent a zillion dollars buying tires and rims because they
just leak.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Yep, you're talking about like typical aluminum alloy.
Speaker 4 (17:10):
Yep.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
They were from the factory. And you know, I'd put
new tires on it. I've got close to over two
hundred on it. Every other week, I would have to
air them all up, and I would break them down,
I'd clean off the rims, I'd put tire ceiling on them,
I put them back on, I bounce them, but they
still just would start to go. And so when the
(17:33):
tread finally went on them, I forget it. I'm just
getting new ones. I'm doing it differently so I don't
have to have that, and ever since then I haven't
had any issues with them. But that's just something more
long living in Michigan or the rust belt where just
that's what happens with those.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
I think a lot of people hearing us on the
radio though may not be aware of that, or they
were aware of it. I've heard of corrosion around the
tire pressure monitoring sensors and having to have those replaced.
But the wheel and the alloy wheel issues, especially in
a climate like Michigan where they're throwing literally saw hundreds
(18:09):
of tons of salt on the road. That makes sense
because that's going to create a lot of issues. That
seal that would normally be tightly beaded from when your
tires went on, that could be very easily eaten away
because of that salt and no water in the snow
and the grime and all that. So makes a lot
of sense. And ultate your tires every five to seven thousand, just.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Going to save yourself some money. Tires aren't cheap like
it used to be. You know, you could take two
hundred bucks and go down to the tires store on
Saturday morning and get new tires.
Speaker 4 (18:38):
Put on the car. And that's not the case in
thousand now.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
And this all started with the Fort Explorer thing when
fires there was that ex I know, and they were
at their fire stone bridge stones.
Speaker 4 (18:52):
They were excellent. They also put them on.
Speaker 3 (18:55):
Oldsmobile Bravadas and stuff like that, and those things will
go eighty ninety thousand miles. The problem was is that
the carcass would come apart, even though they still had
tread wheneverything else.
Speaker 4 (19:09):
They just they'd fall apart.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
And so the government decided that I think it was
two thousand and eight, it was mandatory to have the
tire pressure monitoring system.
Speaker 4 (19:19):
Put on them. That's come a long way.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
It's gone from wheel speed sensors where they go, oh
this tire's going slower than that one, and they've come up
to what we have today.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
It's not easy.
Speaker 5 (19:31):
I mean no, I think in the once the software
was implemented and like that initial cost is over. I
think it's I mean, we've got generic TSPs. I'll back
that are fine. But two real quick things I want
to add about the tires. A lot of people in Michigan.
Like to do summer and snow tires, and I know.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
We've got it. We've got an episode on that in Auto.
Speaker 6 (19:57):
Talk where I think we argued a whole episode. Yes,
I just wonder.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Just back this up real Auto talk podcast, by the way,
just look it up wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
Just because you've only had two seasons of summer or
winter tires, check the tread before you put them on.
I can't tell you how many times I've taken off
summer tires that have more tread than the winter tires
that I'm putting on. Secondly, check the actual pressure specifications
on the door sill.
Speaker 6 (20:24):
When you open up your driver's door. There's gonna be
a little tad by the life.
Speaker 5 (20:28):
So many people just put, oh, thirty five, that's fine,
and then they come in, especially the all wheel drive ones,
and like, why are my wears, you know, rear tires
wearing uneven or what have you in your look and
you're like, well, that's supposed to be at forty three,
that's supposed to be at thirty four, And because you
put them at thirty five, you're checking that transfer case
up and causing some issues. So check your tread depth.
(20:50):
And check your tire pressures.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
And that's a very very important part. I would say
that ninety nine percent of the cars who were.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
Or either front wheel drive or all wheel drive.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
And there's a lot of all wheel drive vehicles out
there that have different pressures front and rear. And if
you don't have those pressures in those tires, you're going
to buy a PTUs.
Speaker 5 (21:13):
PTUs if it's evol those an angle gear angle get
a little to you our transfer output. It's basically the
equivalent of the front differential that's built into the transmission
that shoots it out to the.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
So the takeaway here, you can you can mess up
a power takeoff unit just by not having your tire
pressures right.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Yeah, So check that especially. I've got an all wheel
drive carp different tire pressures for the front, different tolerances
there than the rear. We are coming up on our
last couple of moments in the program, as we go
through the list of the biggest mistake car owners make,
and this is today in twenty twenty five, and things
we've been doing a long time. Number four, which is
(21:57):
parts using the wrong parts or low quality parts. At
number five, ignoring fluid levels and leaks. Well, let's finish
on parts. I want to talk about fluid levels and leaks.
You still do need to check your oil. Even though
you've got lights and everything. It's good to check your oil. Still.
The conventional wisdom is checking when the oil is cool
(22:21):
or is it okay to check it after the engine
is run. If you've got a car that's in the
last five to ten years, what do you guys say.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
Well, there's a ton of them out there that don't
even have a dipstick anymore.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
You got to push some buttons on the dash to
make it.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Yes, I've got one of those and read it.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
Yeah, you do.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
You know, like if you're checking your oil and you're
checking your coolant and stuff like that, you do that
in the morning before you take off, in my opinion,
because levels rise and lower depending on engine temperature, and
it's all about having the proper a mount in there.
You know, you got a little drip on the ground.
Speaker 4 (22:56):
Okay, Well, here's the deal.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
If it's leaking, you're going to get at some point,
especially if you're like most of our customers who never
change your oil. You have to watch it and you
got to keep it up because that's the life blood
that it's the blood of your vehicle and it's critical.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
And it could be a transmission yellow leak as well.
It could be break fluid. You just need to understand
that checking those levels are important. If you've got a
newer car, it as al just said, it could be
something you check on the dash you've got x percent
of oil life remaining trains.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
And also too with that oil in terms of you know,
temperature cold hot. With a lot of the ones that
check through the dash, it needs to be ran for
a little bit. You gotta let it idle so that
one okay exactly yeah, or you get right of the range.
And the same thing with the transmission fluid level. A
lot of times they don't have the dipsticks, but we've
got to run it up to you know, one hundred
and forty four celsius.
Speaker 6 (23:55):
What have you pulled the plug out? Make sure it drains.
Speaker 5 (23:57):
So unfortunately for the average guy, you're going to have
to probably go to a shop. If the car's been
within maybe six or so years, you're probably gonna have
to go to a shop that can get it up
on a hoist with a scanner and a tool to
look at that fluor dravels.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
But yeah, and if your shop tells you you're low
on blinker fluid, you need to find another shop. Is
to find another shop. We're with Al Schwinkedorf, John Puick.
They are the Michigan's Auto Talk podcast guys. Also Verberg's
Automotive is where you'll find them, and you hear al
frequently in Western Michigan's Borning News on wood Radio. The
(24:32):
last one I want to touch on. You've got a
lot of other things in here, not replacing filters. You've
got battery care, break inspections, suspension and alignment, and the
obvious one of postponing the maintenance that you're supposed to have.
But the last one is a lot of people buy
a car at a dealer but then have it serviced
at Verberg's or a similar type automotive repair spot, trusted
(24:55):
in business for a long time. We've got a lot
of them, you guys are still a Nappa store, a
lot of them around Grand Rapids. Parts people wonder, you know,
how do I know if I'm getting a good part
versus a cheap part? Can I use a re manufactured part?
I've got about a minute left, so I don't want
to take too much long. And this what's the conventional
(25:16):
wisdom on parts, especially if you need to replace something.
Speaker 4 (25:20):
Reman if they're from the right company, is fine.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Re manufacturer. Yeah, okay, I will.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
Tell you that a lot of times our aftermarket part.
Here's the thing that people don't understand is that auto
manufacturers aren't like they used to be, where they made
all the parts and did everything. There's companies out there
that make them for them. We look at value versus.
Every job we do is risk and reward.
Speaker 2 (25:46):
Good point.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
We can go do this job for you, and we
can save you this money to do this, and we've
got a good warranty behind it.
Speaker 4 (25:54):
That's how we look at things.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Here, pretty simple. And that's what you're going to recommend.
You Ever give John, You ever give custom the old parts,
they ever want those, just to look at them.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
They're allowed to by law.
Speaker 6 (26:04):
Yeah, by a low we have to. Normally we don't
see that a whole.
Speaker 4 (26:07):
No, we throw them in the trash. Nobody wants to
take a greasy balls ry home. But we got them
if they want them, because we have to.
Speaker 5 (26:13):
And there's just real quick, I know we're short on time.
There's only been a few selects situations, and normally it's
when the manufacturer comes out and says, hey, look the
part that we put on this failed. Don't reuse this,
or you know, you have to get an updated part.
That's the only time when I would say, oh no,
the dealer has a or the manufacturer has a part
(26:33):
that fixes this issue, because if we get a reman
it's going to have the same issue.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
But that's the point few and far between. Good point.
Al Schwinkerdorf, John Puick from Verberg's Automotive. We have been
hopefully here to save you a lot of money in
this episode of What's Michigan Weekend on repairing your car,
on doing it right and not neglecting necessary maintenance. They're
also a host of Michigan's auto talk podcast wherever you
gets your podcast, which is relaunching. Stay tuned for details.
(27:02):
That's our program this week. Thank you so much, guys,
thanks for coming out. We appreciate it very much. They've
been our guest on this edition of West Michigan Weekend
from iHeartRadio. That's our program. Have a great week.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
You've been listening to iHeartRadio's West Michigan Weekend. West Michigan
Weekend is a production of Wood Radio and iHeartRadio.
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