And we do welcome you to the CNC Auto Show.
You jump in, buckle up and hold on. I'm your host, Aaron Clements, and I'm here to answer your automotive questions, share tips, talk about cars and have some fun. And I have a subject or we normally have a subject on the show that we talk about. And today's subject is DIY or do it yourself items. And we also mix a little car detailing in there, which if you like to clean your own car, it kind of melts together there. And since this is about DIY and car detailing, I asked one of my favorite DIYers out there. And he also is very mean with detailing a car. That's Jim Pate. He just does a beautiful job when he's detailing a car, makes it look good. And he's actually, I think he's had a loner car of ours before and he drove it and he brought it back all detailed, absolutely beautiful. Matter of fact, it stays cleaner than it seems like.
That might be my imagination, but it seems like it stays cleaner longer when he does something like that. Jim, welcome back to the show. Well, glad to be here. I think I have to have my car break down again so I can pick up one of your loners once more.
Yeah, we had a great time last hour. You shared some great tips and actually answered some automotive questions there having to do with the oil leaks and other items. And you just shared some great tips on washing cars, detailing cars, all that's very helpful. Because many times, I think that there's times that people of course work on their own car to save money.
I mean, and that is true. And I do things around my house to save money too. I mean, I'll have, I never have great success with it, but when the washing machine or dryer breaks down, I'll give it a shot many times anyway.
Now I always, almost always end up calling somebody to come fix it, but at least I give it my best on trying. But certain things like cleaning certain items or working with different items around the house, I love to do myself. So sometimes people will do that to save money. Other times people will do it out of enjoyment, just like if you were growing a garden, just like as if you were doing other things that you just love doing, they love doing either car detailing or projects they can do theirself.
So it seems like you, you really enjoy that. Well, I'll tell you about the home front. You were mentioning that and washing machines and so forth. There's times when something breaks and you don't even know who you're going to call.
You got to try to get references. The people are going to show up, be reliable, and it's going to cost you money obviously for that type of service. So we had a problem with the washing machine. We've had a problem with our oven. We've had problems with garage door weather strips, a neighbor with their dishwasher. Whatever it is, you look at it, you get the model number off the unit and you roll you up to your computer and you get on YouTuber oftentimes, and there's all sorts of people out there going to show you how to fix something.
And some of them don't do it correctly. You can tell when they're showing it to you, but you can also get part suppliers for parts for my wife and my washing machine, clothes washer. They have not only the part, it corresponds to your model number. They have a DIY video to go with the part.
Oh wow. So I said, why not? So we took the thing away from the ball, tilted it back, fixed that $50 overnight delivery. That's how quickly it comes. And so you gain an understanding about how things work. You get it done a little quicker. And I'm one of those people that doesn't mind learning how something works, learning a technical system that I'm not familiar with and getting it all so fixed. Usually it goes okay.
Doesn't, no guarantee. You still might have to call somebody if it gets beyond your scope, but around the home, DIY can be very handy these days. Yes, I agree. You ready to lay a tech tip quiz on the table? Let's get them a good one. We're gonna lay this one out there and the winner will receive the prize package with the CNC auto show coffee mug that says, I answered the tech tip quiz. Okay. Bill failed to cut a bush down that was in his backyard and it cost him over $5,000.
Why did failing to cut the bush down cost him $5,000? If somebody knows the answer to that, they give us a call and that number 800-224-9090. That's 800-900-9090.
What is it? 900-564-9090. 224-9090. Okay. Give us a call.
And if you know the answer to today's tech tip quiz, you could be the winner of the prize package that we have. And again, that number 800-224-9090. Give us a call. And also, if you have a question about your car truck or SUV, you can give a call also and we will answer your questions having to do with DIY subjects.
And Jim also has a lot to share having to do with car detailing. So give us a call and we will mention the next item or the next question that I had is, I'll say that I know you're very good with repairing things yourself and at car detailing. How did you learn to do all these things that you do yourself? I have some automotive experience after high school.
I had a year in automotive technical school. That got me going into the car area, but I guess I have a tendency to be interested in, as I said a moment ago, how things work, how they get put together. And I got brothers and a father and my grandfather, particularly on my mother's side were very, very smart, self-sufficient people. So I've been around them and I've watched other people fix things themselves. And I know a lot of people with tons more skills than I, but I've seen the satisfaction that they have gotten out of doing things themselves, solving their own problems. And sometimes you make relationships that way. You get people that help you, you end up helping other people. It just ends up being a real opportunity to broaden your sphere of friends, whether you're on the giving or the receiving end that way. But I just find it interesting.
And I think that having a network of people, like you've called me before. Matter of fact, I still remember this one. It wasn't that long ago. You called and said, Aaron, my starter is making an unusual noise.
It's doing something. You said, do you think that I would be able to replace my starter? And I thought about that particular car. And I said, that one may not be that difficult. Some starters are terrible. I mean, even some, you got to take the top off the engine to do a starter on them.
But that one from memory wasn't that terrible. And you said, okay, I'm going to check on it. And I think you checked and you did your starter, if I'm not mistaken.
It failed at eight o'clock in the morning. And friends around me helped me. One loaned me his tire iron while I put my coveralls on and laid in the road. And another guy sat in the ignition switch and turned it on. And I hit it two times and it started.
So that tells me it's a starter motor. And yes, I called you. I said, listen, am I in shim troubles here?
Is it going to be technically problematic? He said, nope. So auto parts store on the way home, new starter. By 1230, it was installed because I was got some advice from a friend, Aaron Clemens. And I went home and did everything methodically, not in a hurry.
I don't even think I drew any blood on that one, which is a good thing. So have a good network of people to call. If you'd like to do stuff yourself. You bet. Okay. We go to the next caller. Let's go over to Ron and Ron, welcome to the CNC auto show.
And what can we help you with? Thank you, Aaron. On the topic that your guest is talking about, uh, learning about cars and watching videos. If you go on YouTube and type in rain, man, raise repairs, rain, man, raise repairs that, uh, mechanic.
He is unbelievable. I haven't seen anything that he can't fix. And he puts the camera right on the part. He tells you how the part works. Um, uh, a automotive instructor wrote him, commented to him that he told his class, go on YouTube and watch those videos is hundreds of hundreds of them on there, all kinds of cars that he does get frustrated.
And over the years, I can understand with the European cars because of the way they are built. They look good and all that, but mechanically they don't hold up that well, but, um, that's the best automotive site I have watched Ron. That is a great man.
Raise repairs. Fantastic. Check it out.
It's a lot of fun to watch. Thank you. Okay, Ron, thank you so much for the great tip that you gave us. We're going to take a break and be right back. We do welcome you back to the CNC auto show.
And we have Jim paid here with us. He's talking about DIY projects or car detailing, uh, either one you want to ask a question about you can, and we have a tech tip quiz laying on the table and we have someone on the line to answer that tech tip quiz. So let's go over to John. John, welcome to the CNC auto show.
What can we help you with? I want to take a crack at that answer. Oh, John, you know, I need to put you on stage, right? Yes, sir. All right. Be still.
Okay, John, you're officially on stage. I'm going to read detective quiz. Bill failed to cut a Bush down in his backyard and it costs him over 5,000 bucks. Why? I believe it cracked the plumbing pipe in the ground.
Oh, I see what happened is maybe the, the roots from the tree just kept growing and then finally pushed against the pipe of some kind and boom, it just busted. Oh, wow. That's pretty good.
That could cause 5,000 5,000. Well, Oh man. Uh, John, that was a good try though.
I really love the answer, but that's not the answer. Thanks for John. Thank you very much for calling. And the number to call is 800-224-9090. If you have a question about your car truck or SUV, and we will go over and talk to William. Welcome to the CNC auto show.
And what can we help you with? All right. I got an eight Nissan Pathfinder and I will AC always work real well. Well, just all of a sudden I crunk the truck up. It just stopped working.
Just nothing. But I realized that my blower motor was still working. So I did a little research, found out that it was the HVAC speed resistor, blower resistor.
And so ordered it, got it, put it in. Of course it took care of my blower issue, my blower. I can control it because at the time I couldn't turn it up or turn it down, turn it off, anything.
It just counts like that. So I saw that there's a lot of things that can protect my compressor and one being other issues will stop it from working to make sure it doesn't get harmed. And so since I've put that resistor in, I haven't, my compressor is not, I don't have AC. I just have control of the blower motor. Okay. And actually- I want to see what you do about that subject.
Okay. And actually the blower motor system and the air compressor system is almost like two different systems. You have, and actually on different wiring circuits, one side is blowing the air in, the other is getting the air cold. And of course, some of the things that I've seen on a Nissan Pathfinder that can affect the air conditioner and air compressor and keep it from coming on is something that is smaller.
And you know how I like to start with something small first, because if it's a small and cheap, then I like to look in that area first. And of course, first thing I always like to check is fuses, make sure the fuses are in good shape. And if they are, then one item would be the air compressor relay. There's a relay that allows that compressor to cut on. So if it's bad now, a little tip on that is if you can find the AC relay in the box that you have there, and then if you see another relay with that exact same part number on it, sometimes you can swap those relays to see if that was the problem.
Yeah, you can do that, but make sure they have the right same part number. The other thing that can keep the compressor from coming on, which is probably more common than any of the other stuff I mentioned, is the refrigerant being low. When it gets down to a certain point, it won't let the compressor come on, so it won't damage it. And you would need some AC pressure gauges to do that. And if the gauges show that it's low now, if it's just a little low and low enough just to keep the compressor from coming on, you could probably get by with just an evacuating recharge, pulling old refrigerant out, putting a vacuum on the system, putting the right amount back in, and putting some refrigerant oil in to go along with it.
But if it's pretty much empty, then you'll probably want to get a leak check with your technician, or you could do it, but put pressure on the system and either use an electronic leak detector to probe around and tell where it's leaking from. Jim, you got anything you want to add to that? I have a question. When it was working, the last day that it worked, was it working really well, nice and cold the way it's supposed to, and then the next day it was off?
Good question. Yeah. This is what happened now. I forgot to say that it was working great. I got my truck crunked up. It did not blow cold at all, because I recall calling my wife and saying, great, my AC's gone out.
It's the middle of summer. Now, I left it. I didn't even bother it to turn it on for two days. That's when I got in two days later, crunked it up, just decided to try to see if it came on, and it came on, but then almost immediately went back off, and that's when I realized that I had no control on the blower. So I figured that if it was low-cooler, I knew that the low three-yard could possibly kick in and stop the compressor, but it was full blast.
I mean, having to turn it down to the fridge don't help. I'm thinking it's electrical. It's either the control switch and the dash that runs the AC and the rest of your functions, but it also could be the relay Aaron's talking about, and you remember Aaron fixing a car on mine one time that went from rock-cold spitting ice cubes to not working at all, and there was a wire that, due to the age of the car and heat, it finally failed down on the high-pressure switch. All we had to do was put another section of wire in there. Your folks put the weatherproof seal on it. Air conditioner comes right back on.
Yes. So it could be something electrical. Three minutes, stations.
Three minutes. And I agree it does sound electrical to me also from what that's doing. Now, another little trick you could do is while the system's working, you may even tap on that relay if it works when you tap on it. But the next step, if you go further than trying these little things, it's going to be to do some diagnostic testing. I'm going to put you on hold just for a second.
I'll be right back. Protect your vehicle's engine with Sintec and O'Reilly Auto Parts. Sintec Premium Full Synthetic Motor Oil is formulated for today's engines to dissipate heat and friction and reduce wear.
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That's 1-800-224-9090. And we have William on the line. William has a 08 Pathfinder that the blower motor was acting up. He got that part doing well, replace the resistor, but now the compressor is not coming on.
And William, I think we talked a little bit about likely issues. Could be the AC relay is a possibility. Of course, check the fuses.
I always do that as one. Anytime I have an electrical issue, I like to start with easy stuff. And of course, fuses are one of the number one things I like to check. William, during the break, I was thinking about one other thing I'd recommend doing since you said it come on and then cut back off. I would also recommend check having the computer scans if there's any trouble codes in there.
At one time, we used to cut our AC on, but now we request AC. You move the knob and you're requesting it from the computer. And if the computer wants to give it to you, it will. If it don't, it won't. So have the system scanned.
And after that, the next step, if it's not the relay, is to have some diagnostic test run. Alright, well I appreciate it. Well, I've got it. Can I take a shot at the Tech Tip quiz?
You sure can. I'm going to put you on stage though. Alright. Okay, here is the question. Bill failed to cut a bush down in his backyard and it cost him over $5,000. Okay, William, all eyes are on you.
What is the answer to today's Tech Tip quiz? Maybe HOA funds. Oh, you're talking about the Home Owners Association had a fit because they liked the tree or they said cut the tree down.
I'm sorry. And he wouldn't cut it down. And they fined him $5,000. That's an expensive bush. Yeah, that was a good try though.
I mean, that was a very good try. William, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Appreciate the question too. Thank you.
Okay. We appreciate it. The number to call is 800-224-9090. If you've got a question about your car, truck or SUV, you just give us a call. And Jimmy, ready to go to the next caller? I'm waiting for him. Alright, let's go over to Lewis.
Lewis, what can we help you with today? I have a 2013 Altima and it has 81,000 miles on it. I was told to start using synthetic oil and I was wondering if I have to continue that for the rest of the life of the car.
Or can I go back to what I used to use? I'm going to say absolutely yes, continue to use full synthetic. Really, if you look at the price difference, there's not a huge, huge price difference between semi-synthetic and full synthetic oil now. And full synthetic is better oil.
I mean, there's just no question about it. It can withstand stress more than semi-synthetic oil. So yes, you're talking a small amount of money and you're talking about the cost of it making a difference of thousands of miles into the engine. Yeah, I would, without question, continue to use the full synthetic oil for the life of the car, without question.
So in many places, I wouldn't even sell anything different. Jim, you got anything you want to add to that? Sounds like this question might have been not just a financial one.
Is it worth the investment? But are you asking, once you make a conversion to full synthetic, is it ill-advised from a technical standpoint to migrate back to semi or conventional? Is that part of the question?
That was part of it. The other part was, I took it in for the oil to be changed, and I think they put in regular instead of synthetic. Will that cause problems?
No, not just one time. You can just, on your next oil change, just get the full synthetic. And just make sure when you carry it in each time, just say, I would like a full synthetic oil change. I kind of lean toward recommended that people use the same place to change their oil when they can, but if they're out of town and need to get it changed somewhere else, or just inconvenience to have it changed at their regular place, you can do it. But just make sure when you carry it in and let them know that you do want the full synthetic oil. And I know it may not make a huge difference, but I lean toward trying to keep the same brand of oil. Get into a routine with it, and that's the biggest thing people ask me on oil. Should you change it 3,000 miles, 5,000 miles, 7,000 miles? Well, I prefer the 5,000 miles on most later model vehicles, but the biggest thing in the whole deal is consistency.
Do it on a regular basis, and if you do that, you're going to be fine. But yes, on many cars, actually on most cars, I recommend even if you're running semi-synthetic now, run full synthetic because it's better oil, and it's not that much more. And you'll no doubt, it will help the engine with its longevity. Okay. I had been doing that in the same oil place, must have changed people, and they put on the sticker that they put on the windshield, and it was just 5W. I didn't say it was synthetic, and I had told them the expressway when I took it in, and that's what I wanted.
Yeah. Well, just get full synthetic on your next oil change. You'll be fine. Thank you, Mark. We thank you very much for the call.
And the number to call is 7800-224-9090. If you have a question about your car, truck, or SUV, you give us a call. And Jim, I have to ask you, what's the most unusual thing that you have, have you worked with that is a DIY project?
Well, recently, I think this would be a good answer. It's not mine. It's a neighbor's car. We talked about that before. You work together sometimes.
Yeah. And a neighbor of ours had a Model T that had been in the family for a long time and sitting in a barn up in Minnesota, and they brought it back on a trailer themselves. And I had the best time working with that gentleman on the car that belongs to he and his wife. It's actually his wife's car.
It was her father, I believe, that owned it. And working on the electronics, trying to figure out spark advance and the starting... Gosh, what do you want to say? The orchestration of events you have to go through to start one of those things with advance on the steering wheel and in order to use the electric starter and get off the battery and on the magneto and so forth.
Remarkably simple cars, but completely different from what we're used to now. I think even the timing is weird. To change the timing... Oh, here's what it was. The wiring is backwards in a sense.
It's hot, I think, to the plugs and grounds through the distributor. And we were trying to figure that out. We're missing a wire here, for example. So with something like that, it really tasked you. And the good thing was this neighbor of ours is a very smart guy. He's an engineering guy.
Very intellectually advanced. And so the two of us, I would follow his lead on a lot of things. With my rudimentary stuff and his advanced knowledge, we would plug through a number of things. We've got more work to do there.
So that's the most unusual one that I would say, because it's so different. Wow, that sounds like that would have been fun. Ready to go to the cars? Let's do it. All right, let's go visit with Charles.
Charles, welcome to the CNC Auto Show. And what can we help you with? Hey, good morning, everyone. And Jim, how y'all doing this morning? Doing very nice. Good.
I would like to give a shot of the tech tip quiz, please, sir. Oh, you know what we need to do first? We're going to need to put you on stage, so hold still. Yeah, get blue. Okay, now. Yeah, that was blue. And yeah, blue comes in every day. He's always on time. Never, never has a problem with anything. The price is right.
Yeah, price is very good. And he's, you tell him to play, boom, he plays. And then he sits back down and you don't hear anything else from him. Okay, here we go. Bill failed to cut a bush down in his backyard and it cost him over $5,000. What was it? And we got less than a minute for you to tell us. And what is the answer to today's tech tip quiz?
Okay. It was, it was in his driveway and it impaired his vision backing out of his driveway. And he backed out one day and he was hit by a passing car.
And the accident was his fault. Oh, Charles, that would have been, oh, that was, that was a good story though. I was kind of, I was kind of into the story, but no, that's not the answer, but I really do appreciate you calling in. Thank you, Charles.
Good to talk to you. Thank you very much. And number call 800-224-9090. We'll be right back.
We have a question about your car, truck, or SUV. All you have to do is give us a call. That number 800-224-9090.
That's 800-224-9090. And we are, we have Jim Pate here with us and Jim, we're ready to go to the cause. I think so. We're going to do it. Here we go. Boom. And welcome to the CNC auto show.
And what can we help you with? Hello, Charles. This is Charles again. Yes, sir.
Charles. Yes. We're ready for you. Can I try again? Absolutely. You can.
Can I try again? Yep. You can. And the only thing is not many people can withstand the odd button twice in one show, but it yeah, it's, it's, it's hard.
And many people have to seek therapy after afterwards. But if you think you can handle it, we're going to do it. So we're going to read the quiz.
Bill failed to cut a bush down in his backyard and it cost him over $5,000. Why? And Charles, all eyes are on you. What? Well, now all eyes are on you.
And what is the answer to today's tech tip quiz? Okay. Okay. You said the bush was in his backyard. The roots were so thick that they got to his drainage and called his drainage pipes to bus and he had to have them replaced. Ooh.
And just the roots just went everywhere. Charles, I am so sorry, man. This is going, this is going to really hurt. Be still. Oh, wow.
Someone's got to help them off stage. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Not many people can handle that, but I think you can, Charles.
You're going to be okay, man. Hey, we appreciate it. I got it.
Hey, thank you very much for joining in. All right. Thank you. Bye-bye. Okay.
The number to call 800-224-9090. And Jim, you're ready for us to go to the next one. Look forward to it. Okay. Here we go. And let's go over to Chris.
Chris, welcome to the CNC auto show. And what can we help you with? I want to try and answer that quiz question. Oh, okay. Here we go.
We're going to put you on stage first. And we'll read the question. Bill failed to cut a bush down in his backyard and it costs him over $5,000. Why?
And Chris, all eyes are on you. What's the answer to the tech tip quiz? I think it was too close to his house and the roots damaged his foundation. Whoa. Now that's getting in there pretty good. That's a good answer. But, oh, wow. Chris, I am so sorry, man. Oh, man. Yeah. Wow.
Hey, we appreciate your call very much. Thank you. All right.
Okay. That was Chris, man. We appreciate him calling in. And the number to call is 800-224-9090. And Jim, you ready? Let's go to the next call. Let's go. All right. Here we go.
Let's go over to. Hey, Aaron and Jim. Yes. This is Ron and Athlin. All right, Ron. Hello there. Yeah. Such a delay in here.
It's confusing. Jim makes a good addition to the show. I really enjoy listening to you guys.
I hope he comes back again. Look, you have some great guests on your show. I wonder if you could possibly find a Cuban that has opened up an automotive shop somewhere and let him come on the show and kind of go through with us on how we can rebuild our old cars when we can no longer get engines for it, maybe swapping over a tractor engine into it, something like that. Given our current economic situation, we may have to resort to bringing back our old 57s and 69s and put them on the road.
And there might not be any engines available. And so I've understood that they would take the old tractor motors and put them in the automobiles. And there's a lot of things that can be done on the older cars. But when you mentioned people from Cuba working on cars, it made me think of some of the people that I know that have Cuban descent from first, second generation, and they're running shops now.
People that I know, I mean, unbelievable, beautiful shops that they have. And I'm talking about working on Maseratis and all this other stuff. So yeah, I guess if you were thinking about an area that I didn't know that much about in actual Cuba, that would probably be true.
But most of the people I know that Cuban descent have, I mean, unbelievable, beautiful shops. So yeah, but I think that what you're saying, though, is that maybe be able to take some of the older vehicles that we have and turn them into drivable vehicles, daily driver vehicles. Is that right?
That's right. Well, out of necessity for one thing, because no longer can afford these newer vehicles and the chips that go in them. I mean, you look at some of the vehicles that they still got on the road in Cuba. They're beautiful cars. They've done a great job keeping them up.
But their engines and transmissions have gone totally over the tractor engines, just for diesel power, for one thing, and just because that's the only thing that's available. Now, going back years to date myself, when I first moved to Louisiana in the early 70s, there was a popular car talk show guy on there on the weekends on WWL, Ramirez. He had his own shop and he was a lot like you.
I mean, you could, and even JR, I mean, you couldn't ask him a question that he didn't know the answer to it. And then later on Click and Clack came on, the Tapitz brothers. And I'm glad to see you and your group down there carrying on the tradition. Y'all do an incredible service to the community. And I just want to say thank you. And I appreciate Jim being there today. He's really added a lot.
He's painted the picture is coming to a great masterpiece. I agree to you. Well, plus I always enjoy being here because even during the breaks, we'll get a chance to have some great discussion. And I see your point that there are parts on a lot of vehicles. Now parts are going to be getting harder to locate and the prices on vehicles are going up. And I do notice that at the shop, more and more people are getting engines, transmissions, things that they probably would have said, well, I'm all trade the car.
Instead, they're doing repairs and even wanting to do more preventative maintenance to make their current vehicles last a long time. So I see exactly what you're saying. And I really do appreciate the call too. Aaron, y'all tie knot and hang on and have a safe weekend. We're going to do it. All right.
You have a safe weekend too. All right. Okay. We are running a little low on time.
So let's see if we can, I want to ask Jim one last question. What out of all the cars you've had, and you've had many, what has been your favorite car that you've had? I guess there's been different ways that you can measure that. I think the car that I enjoyed owning the most at the time was a 1970 Oldsmobile, Countless Supreme, Matador Red with a white vinyl top and white vinyl interior, but it had drum brakes. It had a lot of, it didn't have anti-light brakes. It didn't have a lot of the safety features.
The seatbelts weren't the way they really needed to be. It was a great, great car at the time. Now the favorite car, I guess, that has both the structure that I like and the conveniences that we've all come accustomed to is a 2007 Lincoln Town Car. That is just a sweet ride with a, still the V8 and a full perimeter frame, overdrive transmission, but it has the safety features too. So that's the favorite one now, I think from an overall standpoint, current times.
Yeah. Well, you know, the gas tank's on me now, so we got to pull over, but we will be back on road no time. I'm your host, Aaron Clements. Our show producer is Mason Rogers and Anthony Masano. And we want to say thank you, Jim, for being on the show. And I agree with the other caller that you were a great asset to the show. We appreciate it very much and look forward to seeing you back again. And we'll see you back more with the CNC Auto Show.
