Made Moon Blog

• Salesmen are more willing to haggle prices to close the deal when in the holiday season, as most people are too busy to think about buying a car at that time.

• Another time that is the best for getting a good deal is the period from July to October. Dealerships are trying to get rid of their inventory to make way for the new year models.

• Do some research online, and get some quotes - optimally along with some good rebates or incentives. Print out your results from the lowest quotes and bring it with you to your local dealer. Showing them the lower quotes might compel them to give you a better deal. If not, shop around some more.

• Visit FightingChance.com - This site has great advice, as well as incentives and rebate offers. You may be able to save thousands of dollars on your car purchase.

• A good tactic is to bring a copy of your credit score with you to the dealership. It can lower your interest rates on your car loan.

• Be suspicious of any ‘bait and switch’ tactics, such as some odd change that occurred after you initially discussed the car with the dealer. Some unscrupulous dealers will use your preference for a particular car as leverage in convincing you to stay with your choice; although, unfortunately there has been some ‘unforseen’ change in the price or deal you originally discussed. Stick to your guns and remind them that is not what was agreed. If they don’t back down,or at least give you a concession, then it is up to you if you want to accept the difference.

• A rule of thumb is to never wait until your car is broken down and you are desperate - not only are you not thinking as clearly at a time like that, but the salesman may sense your desperation and take advantage of you. On such a major decision, try to force yourself to take action when you realize your car has issues, but while it is still running.

• Do your research before going in and subjecting yourself to high-pressure tactics. Don’t fall for any deals where you are required to make an on the spot decision. This is a big commitment and you need to be on top of the game.

Jamie Snodgrass is an online marketer for many sites such as
Car Buying Tips and
Article Directory


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If you are a pick up truck or SUV owner, one of the most popular accessories for these types of vehicles are running boards. Running boards are particularly useful as they allow easier access to your truck’s cabin in addition to simply “lookin’ good”. You can outfit your vehicle yourself with running boards by following three simple steps. Depending on the brand of running board you purchase, the procedures involved may vary somewhat.

Lund running boards are industry hot sellers and the company helps make installation a breeze by outlining how to get the job done:

1. Insert the square head bolts into the extruded channels on the underside of the board, then attach the Multi-Fit brackets loosely with supplied washers and nuts.

2. After determining mounting position on the truck, the end caps and step pads are attached with matching black rivets.

3. Mounting methods vary slightly with application. Multi-Fit Running boards are bolted in place with clip nuts and bolts at factory holes. Tighten after determining alignment is correct.

That’s it! Before you know it your running boards are securely in place and ready for use.

When shopping for running boards, please note that the quality of the products marketed can vary. A top of the line running board such as those sold by Lund or Westin running boards is typically made out of tough polymer materials or diamond plated aluminum and will, therefore, adequately hold your weight and resist deterioration. You can order running boards that light up, choose boards that have a wide step area, and even select running boards that allow you to paint the shell yourself.

Running boards are made for SUVs from the Kia Sorento to the Ford Expedition, and for trucks from the Toyota Tacoma to the GMC Sierra Denali. Mounting kits are usually sold separately, so before completing your order make sure that all the parts as well as instructions are included with your shipment.

By shopping with a reputable online retailer and installing the running boards yourself you can save plenty of money and have the satisfaction of knowing that you did the installation.

Your American license is exchangeable for a French license if it is from one of the following states: Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Kentucky (Please note this list can change at any time!). If you think I missed a state, then call your local Préfecture or sous Préfecture or French embassy/consulate. They will tell you if your license is exchangeable. If you do have a license from one of the states listed, you have one year from the date you entered France: the date stamped on your passport or Carte de Séjour, to make the exchange. If you wait more than a year, all is lost; you will have to obtain a French driving license ‘from scratch’, a difficult process. The process, starting from scratch is expensive and a nuisance. This is the process:

Find a driving school - Not an easy course in and of itself, because so many go out of business. I went with L’Ecole de Conduite Francaise(ECF)a chain, to obtain my license. It was fortunate that I did. The other independently owned school I looked at went out of business. There are some schools in Paris that teach classes in English. Classes taught in English are expensive. When you sign-up with your driving school you pay a flat fee for the written test, in my case about $220 US. Then you pay by the lesson, $35 US per lesson, for the practical.

Written test - The written test is made up of forty multiple choice questions. You have thirty seconds to answer each and must answer 35 or more correctly to pass. What I found the most difficult about the written test, was that more than one answer could be correct on some of the multiple choice questions. This along with the fact that some questions are in two parts makes the written test in reality more than forty questions.

Your driving school will give you a textbook for the written test that explains, if that is possible, the French driving code. All of your in class preparation for the written test consists of taking a practice test and then going over the test question by question, with the instructor. The practice tests have the same type questions, but more difficult, than the actual test. The time constrains are the same.

I spent a little over a month getting ready for the written test. I was not working and went to my school almost every day. The school had self-teaching CD ROMs available during the day and classes at night. Some schools have classes through out the day with no CD ROMs.

I was not able to take the written test when I wanted to. First there was a problem getting back my paperwork from the Préfecture. I was told it would take a month, but because I was outside the norm, a foreigner, it took longer. Then when I finally received the test date, the test was canceled because there was the smell of gas in the examination center. In France, unlike the states, you cannot choose the test location. Your school is given exam dates that it then gives to the students. Sometimes if demand is great, schools only have dates every few weeks.

If you get frustrated at times with studying for the written test, just remember that the actual test is easier than the practice tests. A friend of mine, the day before she took the written test, missed fourteen on a practice test, yet she passed when it counted.

After writing all the above it is possible to study on your own for the written test. No one I know has; but my local Préfecture said I could. There are plenty of CD-ROMs that teach the written test.

Driving test - If this is the part you think will be the easiest, think again. It took me nine one hour lessons before I was “ready” for my driving test. That was with already driving for fifteen years! French driving schools make most of their money from driving lessons, they run about $35 apiece, and so in no time you will have spent a few hundred dollars.

The test lasts twenty minutes: you may be asked to parallel park, go through a few intersections that are yield right, drive on the highway, just about anything that you might do driving. Like the written, the driving test is not as difficult as your instructor will make it out to be. My instructors were very strict; you had to do everything exactly as asked. For example when you change lanes, you need to look in your mirror, look over your shoulder, then look in the mirror again. Also you need to be constantly looking in your mirrors, about every ten seconds, so you know what’s behind you, your instructor will nitpick like crazy and it will not be nice. One major frustration: I was told to forget a lot of what I learned in studying for the written test. Another frustration and most French will attest to this, no one drives like they are taught in France.

You are going to spend a few months, my case three, to obtain a French driver’s license. Then you will see on a daily basis drivers running red lights, driving way over the speed limit and other infractions.

Enjoy!

For more information see =>http://www.americansinfrance.net/driving_study_guide

Jeff Steiner - http://www.jeffsteiner.com/
I’m an American living in France, Reignier (near Geneva) at the moment. Over the last ten years I have learned a lot about living and traveling in France. Which is why I created http://www.americansinfrance.net I’m originally from Los Angeles and have lived outside the United States before - Nicaragua in the early 1990’s.

There was a day when trucks were a working man’s vehicle and scratches were expected. Shells protected valuables and tonneau covers protected tools. Those days are over and truck enthusiasts are souping up their rides more than ever before. With the addition of popular movies featuring fancy cars and popular television shows that glorify plasma screens and ground shaking stereo systems, the custom truck rage is here to stay.

As a sign of manhood or personal taste, many truck owners decide to lift their rides for a performance altered appearance. Lift kits can actually be found online and can be installed on your truck in a do-it-yourself fashion. Some lift systems can be somewhat difficult to install, but after all, challenges are what get us men going and when we are determined, who knows what will happen.

The following bullet points are the benefits to installing a new suspension system with lift kit on your truck:

• Style
• Performance
• Increase in ground clearance
• Looks that could make a grown man cry!

The sky’s the limit when you go high-profile with your truck or SUV! Lift Kits push ground clearance and aggressive looks to new heights, letting you conquer on or off-road obstacles with confidence. Lift Kit Manufacturers make custom parts that will fit your specific truck to a “T” to give you the look that you’ve been wanting. My lift kit was recently tested at an off road rally down near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and let me tell you - I didn’t get stuck in the dirt. Ground clearance was needed on the off road trails that we were on and the drool on my buddies faces proved that the style could easily make a grown man cry.

Andrew Bernhardt is a proud Ford F150 owner and an auto enthusiast. He is also a writer for AutoAnything, an online truck accessories supplier of lift kits, suspension systems and more for every vehicle and every lifestyle.

Stopping with Style

A custom truck or SUV just isn’t complete without a set of custom taillights. Taillights are like a fine wine - well, okay, they’re not really like wine. Custom tail lights aren’t anything but custom tail lights and if your truck doesn’t have them, you might as well be ridin’ around in a horse and buggy.



Clear Tail Lights + Police = Ticket

Not too long ago, clear tail lenses were the big thing. Manufacturers couldn’t make them fast enough to keep up with demand. But there was a problem; they weren’t street legal. State DOT offices started cracking down and the police responded. Tickets started to pile up, manufacturers were fined hundreds of thousands of dollars for making clear tail lights, and production stopped. Everyone looked for a new alternative.



Hello Altezza!

Nobody knows where the term “Euro Taillights” actually came from. The design actually came from a production Japanese car; the Toyota Altezza (In America, we call this the Lexus IS 300). Altezza tail lights feature the styling that we’re familiar with today; a chrome interior with red reflectors and a clear housing. At some point, somebody called them euro tail lights and the name just stuck.



Euro taillights are DOT approved. They have the one key element that was missing from clear tail lights - red reflectors. Without that red reflector you can, and will, get pulled over.



Many Styles, Many Names

The name “Euro Tail Lights” actually applies to most custom taillights on the market. As you read before, the original design had a chrome interior with red reflectors and a clear housing. The range of available styles has expanded in many ways. Some have a carbon fiber designed interior, and are often called Carbon Fiber Tail Lenses or Carbon Fiber Tail Lights. Some are black inside. These are commonly called black tail lenses. Some euro tail lenses have a smoked housing instead of clear, some have flames on them. Some of the newest on the market use LEDs instead of traditional bulbs. They are much brighter than anything currently on the market and the LEDs practically last forever!



The point of all this is to educate you on the history and some of the different styles of custom tail lights on the market. So whether you are looking for Altezza Tail Lights, Euro Tail Lights, or Clear Tail Lights, you’ll know what you’re talking about when it comes down to it.

Will Mahoney is an automotive junkie who lives in Cleveland, Ohio. He likes racing autocross and tinkering with trucks and cars. He currently writes online content and articles for Stylin Concepts, a leading retailer of truck accessories, suv accessories, seat covers, floor mats and any other aftermarket truck and SUV accessories.

Produced in unison by both Carrol Shelby and the SVT team (what the hell else does SVT have to do?), this car will most likely push the already insanely popular Mustang to never before seen popularity.

Head of SVT, Hau Thai-Tang, along with Carrol Shelby have stuffed the extraordinary 5.4-liter, DOHC, 32-valve supercharged V8 from the Ford GT super car under the Mustang’s hood. Final horsepower numbers have not yet been announced, but Thai-Tang hints it will be “Well over 450 hp, closer to 500.” Look for 450-plus lb-ft of torque too. Whatever the final numbers, it will be insane. Engineer Thai-Tang, who did a stint at Newman-Haas Racing, sums up the powertrain by saying: “It’s gonna be a monster.”

Taking it’s looks from the 1968 GT500, and adapting much of the 2005 Ford mustang GT-R prototype, this is one intimidating snake. Sure to give Corvette and Viper owners a run for their money, these looks are not deceiving. The agressive nose and hood not only look good, their functional. The front splitter creates downforce, holding this beast to the road as it corners aggressivly at high speeds. You’ll find the hood has built-in heat extractors, helping to dissapate warm air away from the supercharged four cammer engine. A pair of racing stripes are optional, and make their way agressivly through the center of the car. I do believe stripes add horsepower too, although I don’t think Ford engineers accounted for them (you know I’m joking right? Nevertheless, stripes are all too cool).

In the rear a low-profile decklid spoiler provides alittle helpful downforce at high speeds, and includes an integrated third brake light. Alittle further down you’ll find that “SHELBY” is spelled out in large badges, and the gas cap medallion features a Shelby Cobra GT500 logo. I’d say thats worth at least 5 horsepower too.

The interior is totally decked out in jet black and deep red leather. Top of the dash, on the door panels, center arm rest, shift boot, and even parking-brake handle is black leather. SVT Red leather seating surfaces and door panel inserts provide a marked contrast to the rest of the leather-trimmed cabin, surrounding the performance enthusiast with luxury and comfort. Snake logos embroidered into the seat backs finish off the new edge interior.

The rest of the interior takes it’s cues from the 2005 Mustang, pretty much it’s an upgraded version of the new Mustang’s interior and even has titanium faced MyColor gauges (yep, Ford’s still installing the neat little color changing thingy). One subtle, but unique difference will be the tachometer located on the right side of the instrument panel, as opposed to the left side like you would find in the GT and V6. The chrome accessories inside the cockpit have been replaced with a satin aluminum finish, including the aluminum shift lever knob that is nicely positioned for quick, positive shifts of the six-speed T-56 Tremec transmission.

But wait folks, theirs more! Improvements such as revised shocks, spring rates and upgraded stabilizer bars help the GT500 stop and turn with the same authority as it goes. GT500 features a MacPherson strut independent front suspension with “Reverse L” lower control arms, and a solid-axle, three-link rear suspension with coil springs and a Panhard rod for precise control of the rear axle. To match the awsome handling ability, SVT fitted some of the biggest brakes in the business to the GT500. Fourteen-inch cross-drilled Brembo rotors up front and 13-inch discs in the rear continue SVT’s legacy of great-braking Mustangs. Secure footing is provided by 19-inch wheels (what, no dubs! Ahh, they’ll do I suppose) wrapped in a set of high-performance tires.

All in all, I’d have to say “Job well done” to the Carrol Shelby and the Ford SVT team. Considering Shelby hasn’t worked on a Ford project since 1970 and SVT was, well not doing anything anyways(insert crazy rant about not having a Mustang Cobra or Ford Lightning for 2005 here). It’s great to see that Ford didn’t just sit back and enjoy the success of the ‘05 Mustang, their really going after the performance car market now. To top it all off, Ford expects to set an MSRP of under $40,000 - which makes the Ford Shelby Mustang Cobra GT500 (say that 10 times real fast) an entry level supercar in my book.

Could it get even better? Ford’s even planning on producing a convertable in 2007, with many improved features over the previous Mustang convertables. With a stiffer chassis design and more lightweight than ever before, it’s sure to be a huge hit as well. Mustang fans around the world are anxiously awating the release of the GT500, unfortunately it may not be an easy buy. Although the sticker will be under $40k, don’t expect to be buying one for that. With just 7,500 to be produced each year they’ll probably be some insane price gauging. Yay for capitalizm.

- Written by Joe Hayes. Images courtesy of Ford Motor Company. Sources from accross the internet. http://www.moddedmustangs.com

Joe Hayes
http://www.moddedmustangs.com

DaimlerChrysler Nets $3.3 Billion Profit

DaimlerChrysler has reported a profit of $3.3 billion for 2005 based on the strength of its Chrysler Group and commercial truck divisions. The company’s Mercedes division actually lost money in 2005 as it undergoes an extensive overhaul of its operations.

Competing automakers GM lost $8.6 billion while the Ford Motor Company turned a $2 billion profit on the strength of strong profits outside of the North American market.

Ford vs. Chevy: The Winner

Ford and Chevrolet are locked in an annual battle for sales leadership in the U.S. Despite the insurgency of foreign brands, Ford and Chevrolet continue to rule the roost.

Winning the battle of yearly sales is something neither automaker takes lightly. For years, Chevrolet was the clear winner before Ford rallied and started to beat out Chevy in the 1980s. According to Automotive News, the winner for 2005 is Chevrolet by just over 17,000 units. The totals include cars and light duty trucks, however if medium and heavy duty trucks are included, then the winner is Ford by approximately 5,000 units.

Kia’s European Surge

Credit Kia with setting records. In sales, that is. According to Motoring Life, Kia’s sales in the Western European market rose nearly 40% in 2005. For the third consecutive year, Kia registered the biggest gains in year to year sales in the market which covers 18 nations.

Kia’s growth has stemmed from intense marketing efforts and the popularity of its Rio compact car and Sportage compact SUV. Although overall market share is very small at 1.6%, the trend for further growth is in place as the Korean automaker introduces European versions of its Optima sedan, Sedona minivan, and other models. Kia will be opening a new plant in Slovakia later this year to handle the increased demand for its vehicles.

Jeep Supplier Jobs Opening Up

Although GM and Ford are shedding jobs, one American automaker is holding steady. Jeep, a division of DaimlerChrysler, is experiencing robust demand for its Liberty and Wrangler vehicles as well as for the Dodge Nitro, a rebadged Liberty. Thus, as many as 1,000 supplier jobs paying in the neighborhood of $11-$13 per hour are springing up to supply the Toledo plant.

The Ohio News Network is reporting that as many as 200 laid off Jeep workers will be called back too as they provide third shift work to help build the Nitro.

G5 For Pontiac

Autoweek is reporting that Pontiac will soon get its own version of the Chevrolet Cobalt. Dubbed the G5, the car will fill a void that has been in the Pontiac line up ever since the Sunbird exited the scene a few years back. The G5 is expected to debut this fall as a 2007 model.

In addition to bringing in the G5, Pontiac is planning on getting rid of the Montana SV6 minivan, citing that the vehicle doesn’t fit the division’s branding.

Copyright 2006 - Matt Keegan is The Auto Writer, who writes on a variety of automotive topics including new models, classics, auto parts and accessories, insurance, and news.

It is impressive to see how technological advances have changed the world in the last few years. Never, in the history of humanity, have human beings been so united from the point of view of the advances in telecommunications and information. Geologic Solutions is a company that has served as a bridge between these advances and the trucking industry. In today’s world, it is very important to have the ability to understand the needs of customers and to have the speed to offer the best solutions. For this reason, this company is a leading provider of new technology for the transportation industry.

Geologic Solutions is directed by an executive team with wide trucking history that offers the most complete, cost-effective, technological solutions for its clients. Recently, two important trucking companies have decided to purchase equipment the new GPRS technology. Sitton Motor Lines has purchased MobileMax units operational with new GPRS, while Fikes Truck Line decided to extend its agreement with Geologic Solutions and buy additional MobileMax Multi Mode communications and tracking systems for the its dedicated owner-operators.

With only a month of being offered in the market, the new GPRS have received excellent commentaries from customers that are satisfied with the speed of the network. For this reason, Sitton Motor Lines have required this new technology and system equipped in its 500 vehicle fleet. As said by John Lewis, CEO for GS, “the network is performing exactly as we expected and we are pleased that carriers like Sitton are realizing the benefits of using it”.

On the other hand, Fikes Truck Lines has increased its number of units as a direct response to the rising number of independent drivers that have requested this advanced technology. Jerry Davis, vice president of safety and insurance at Fikes, has said that the main reason numerous contractors have decided to take the system is because it improves the productivity and efficiency. In the case of this company, it is worth to emphasize that they principally work with owner-operators and by the end of this year they expect to have installed about 280 of the Geologic systems.

So, if you want to improve your equipments with a fine technology, Geologic Solutions is going to offer you a premium quality service verified by the testimonials of representatives of several trucking companies. Some companies pleased with the GS systems are such as J&R Schugel Trucking, Trailiner, Garrison Trucking, among others.

Visit http://www.us-truck-driving-schools.com and submit your contact information to Trucking Schools all over the US. We offer CDL Training and Information.

With gasoline prices rising higher and higher, with no relief in sight, consumers are becoming more aware of and more interested in alternative fuel sources. One of those viable fuel sources is E85 ethanol. These days, there is quite a bit of talk about this fuel, and why shouldn’t there be? After all, it costs close to thirty five percent less than gasoline and is quickly becoming a preferred choice for motorists at the pump stations. E85 ethanol is already widely used in Brazil with about 90 percent of Brazil’s vehicles able to use E85 ethanol. Although a much lower percentage of vehicles in the United State’s are flexible fuel vehicles, and therefore able to burn E85 ethanol, it is quickly gainer favor.

What is E 85 Ethanol?
When 15 percent of leaded gasoline is combined with eighty five percent of ethanol, the result is the low-cost E85 ethanol fuel. It is an alcohol-based fuel that can be produced from employing the use of two methods. The first source of production involves the fermenting and distilling of starch-like feedstock. They include corn, barley, and wheat. The next method, which is referred as bio-ethanol, involves extraction from trees and grasses.

Although the price of the Ethanol E85 may be foremost on consumer’s minds, it also gets the nod from earth activists because it is an environmentally friendly product. It burns clean and its key ingredient source is renewable. Ethanol E85 also lessens the need for imported crude oil because it is locally produced, and is also known for increasing the octane rating in fuel while decreasing the harmful emissions caused by gasoline. If you are consciously trying to use less gasoline because you are aware of toxins it releases into our air think about this: if you convert to a flexible fuel vehicle and you burn E85 in that vehicle you will automatically be using 85 percent less gasoline that you previously had because 85 percent of your fuel is now ethanol and only 15 percent is gasoline.

Ethanol E85 will run well in flexible fuel vehicles like those manufactured by Daimler Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Isuzu and Nissan to name a few. But, if you don’t own a vehicle by one of the above-mentioned manufacturers, you need not fear. Some people are not aware that many other cars manufactured today are Ethanol E85 compatible. It is best to find out from your car dealer if you have a flexible fuel vehicle.

How is E85 Ethanol Made?
The method for producing Ethanol E85 is long and complex. The maker has to first extract sugar from biological feedstock in order to begin the process. Corn is the leading ingredient in Ethanol E85 gas in the United States. In Brazil, sugar cane is the leading ingredient in ethanol. The starch in these crops can easily be converted into sugar. Sugar for this fuel can also be extracted from cellulose, which is a sugar based ingredient found in trees and grasses.

Once the feedstock is collected, it goes through a grinding process to extract the sugar. Sugar fed into microbes quickly produces ethanol and carbon dioxide, which is purified to get the ethanol to the right consistency.

There is another method of manufacturing Ethanol E85 oil or grain alcohol, as it is also known, and this is through a wet-milling process. This is also the method that large-scale manufacturers use when producing high-fructose corn sweetener.

Ethanol E85 is an innovative and renewable resource with many positive characteristics, making it one of the leading topics of discussion for those looking to help the earth and looking to keep a few extra bucks in their wallet. Although E85 is currently only available at approximately 600 pumps in the United States, that number is expected to grow significantly in the next few years.

Dorrie Ruplinger is a featured contributor at GotEthanol.com. For information about ethanol and e85 ethanol, visit us.

Premature failure of a rubber timing belt can easily cost two or three thousand dollars of repairs, possibly including a new engine. Therefore knowing the true mileage of a used car is imperative. Off lease Cars having 4 or 6 cyl. engines may have rubber timing belts and should be avoided.

Be warned

Five years ago an international oil company survey found that 50% of off-lease cars had their odometers illegally turned back and suggested consumers avoid buying off-lease (used) cars, or leasing used cars having uncertain mileage. If the cars really had 50,000 miles, and the odometer read 30,000, then the timing belts would fail long before the new owners expected them to fail.

What is an “interference engine”?

Rubber timing belts are usually used in “interference” engines in which the
valves open further and project further into the combustion chamber than in a “free-running” engine. This allows outside air at atmospheric pressure to flow faster into the combustion chamber through the larger valve openings, allowing the engine to inhale more air, be smaller and still create as much power while reducing its manufactured cost and guaranteeing future repair business for the dealer.

If a rubber timing belt breaks while engine is running, some of the valves stuck in their
open position will smash into the top of the pistons, thereby breaking or
irreversibly damaging one or the other or both.

How to find out if the engine is an “interference engine”.

The salesperson may not know; ask the Service technician. Better yet, go on any search engine and type in “interference engine list” because asking the Dealer’s service technician may not be reliable. If he says it does not, have the Dealer’s Sales Manager (not the salesperson) say so on the purchase order and personally sign and thereby guarantee his assertion. For recommended replacement mileage of rubber timing belts, connect on the Internet to Gates Rubber Company, a worldwide manufacturer of such belts. On its web site, click on Replacement parts/automotive. Look for “timing belt replacement Guide”.

Get a written guarantee to cover premature failure of the car engine’s timing belt.

Because most rubber timing belts on car engines should be replaced at 60,000 to
70,000 miles to avoid the engine self destructing, insist on a written guarantee from the seller to guarantee replacing the timing belt at no charge if it fails within another 20,000 miles. If the seller won’t guarantee it then he’s admitting that the mileage may be inaccurate and by implication may have been turned back. Consider a compromise, such as a $300 price reduction on the vehicle. If not acceptable, walk away.

Replacement cost

Simply replacing a rubber timing belt even at recommended mileage can cost $400 + dollars. Before buying any car, especially 4-cylinder foreign cars, or even a 6-cyl. BMW, be aware of the unavoidable cost of $400-$800 to replace a rubber timing belt at recommended intervals based on mileage or car age.

That’s assuming the timing belt didn’t break. If it breaks (always while the engine is running) then internal engine damage will take place catastrophically. If a timing belt on an interference engine is not replaced at recommended intervals, the repair cost when the belt breaks could increase to $3,000 to $5,000 to replace the entire engine. The sales person will invariably not mention that an interference engine powers the vehicle and may not even know what one is.

The sad part of this problem is that it is not possible to detect timing belt wear without substantially tearing down the engine. The timing belt is literally a “sleeping time bomb”.

Therefore, always buy the cars with “free-running” engines…

Article author

Ralph Hoffmann graduated from the Univ. of Wisconsin, majoring in Applied Mathematics. He has ten years experience raising venture capital plus added business experience and has used his math and additional business background to develop web site http://www.autotruckdata.com for anyone intending to lease or purchase a new car.

Note: He’s completely rebuilt three car engines, hands-on, and knows the difference between hydraulic valve lifters and tappets. He also writes on other automotive issues.