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Something To Consider

The cost of new cars is high! Here is something to keep in mind. Keeping and maintaining your existing car could be a great investment! The average cost of service for most cars is $800 to $1200.00 per year.

Consider these facts:

Just 8% of new cars on the market right now cost less than $30,000. That’s down 38% from before the COVID pandemic began in 2020.

In 2017, the average cost of a new vehicle was around $35,000. Today, it’s nearly $50,000, according to CNBC. 10% of all vehicles sold cost more than $70,000. That is an increase of 7% from five years ago.

According to an Edmunds report, the average price for used cars are 44% higher than five years ago. Thankfully, the price has dropped 6.4% in the first quarter of 2023.

Interest rates are also hammering buyers of both new and used vehicles. The average annual percentage rate (APR) on new vehicles bought in the first quarter of 2023 jumped to 7%, compared to 4.4% a year before. This is the highest level since the first quarter of 2008.

“Consumers paid an average monthly payment of $730 for new vehicles in the first quarter of 2023, compared to $656 a year ago, according to Edmunds. For used cars, consumers paid an average monthly payment of $551, a slight increase from the $542 they paid last year,” Fox reported.

Monthly payments exceeding $1,000 has hit a new record. 65% of auto buyers who have $1,000 monthly auto payments have an average loan-term range of 67 months and 84 months, with their average APR rate between 8.5% and 9.6%.

There are better ways and worse ways to spend $1,000 per month on a vehicle.

Certified Auto Specialists: the friendlier and more helpful auto shop! Feel free to call 626-963-0814 with any questions and we will be glad to help, or visit our website at CertifiedAutoCa.com.

Hometown Service You Can Count On!

Make It A Happy Thanksgiving!

Whether an extended road trip, a rush to the airport, getting groceries or just doing some Black Friday shopping, you probably will need your car. Here are what the road-side assistance companies say to have checked out before the holiday to make sure your vehicle is safe and your Thanksgiving less stressful:

Tires – Make sure each is properly inflated. If even one has bad tread wear and needs to be replaced, it is better to do it before you breakdown!
Wiper Blades – Many accidents could have been avoided if drivers could see where they are going, and most people are not seeing as clearly as they might believe. New wiper blades can make a huge difference.
Battery – If your car’s battery is dead, so are your plans. A simple 10-minute test is all you need.

Don’t let your car be a “roadside assistance” Thanksgiving statistic this year. Let us do a quick vehicle inspection – it will give you what we all want most on any trip – peace of mind! Besides, I would be personally offended if one of my customers had to sit by the side of the road – and you do want me to have a happy Thanksgiving also, don’t you?!

The Problem with Air Fresheners!

Those little trees that dangle from vehicles’ mirrors may look innocent, but are they? Here are a few things to consider if you use them.

They can obstruct your view and are actually illegal in many states!
Oil residue from them damages the plastic trim around a car’s air vent.
Chemicals in the fragrances can cause allergies and also trigger asthma, headaches, and even dermatitis.
They can add potentially hazardous pollutants to a car’s interior due to their volatile organic compounds.

The best way to keep a vehicle’s interior fresh is to clean it. The “fresh” scent from these dangling air fresheners don’t last long. If you simply can’t part with these little trees, please read the instructions carefully before use. They can do harm to your car’s interior when they come in contact with plastic, painted and varnished surfaces and upholstery by melting and then sticking.

We just felt this was something you “auto-know.”

Certified Auto Specialists: the friendlier and more helpful auto shop! Feel free to call 626-963-0814 with any questions, and we will be glad to help, or visit our website at CertifiedAutoCa.com.

Hometown Service You Can Count On!

Using Your Senses To Detect Car Trouble

We get calls all the time from customers that tell us their car “sounds like” or “smells like” this or that. Often customers feel self-conscious about doing this but it truly is helpful to us. Our vehicles are really good communicators. I know we have dash lights that illuminate to tell us many things but our senses are great at it too.

For example, if you notice a puddle under your car that is dark brown or black and oily looking in appearance, that is most likely engine oil. This tells us you might have a bad seal or a loose oil filter. If you see a red oily spot it is probably a transmission or power steering fluid leak. A clear puddle of fluid is most likely air conditioning condensation and is the only puddle you don’t need to be concerned about.

If you notice a smell of burnt toast it could be an electrical problem. The smell of burning sulfur usually indicates a catalytic converter or emission control system problem. An acrid odor could be burning oil or oil leaking onto a hot engine part. A chemical or resin-like odor might indicate a “dragging brake” or an emergency brake that’s been left on by mistake. A sickly-sweet smell and a fogged inside windshield are strong indicators of a heater core failure.

Hearing the following sounds definitely means your vehicle wants attention! A squealing or scraping sound when you apply the brakes, knocks or pings from the engine when you accelerate or climb a hill, your muffler making a rumbling or hissing sound, the thumping of a tire due to a flaw, the clicking of a worn CV joint when you make a tight turn, an engine that keeps chugging when you’ve turned off the ignition. All these noises indicate trouble!

Certified Auto Specialists: the friendlier and more helpful auto shop! Feel free to call 626-963-0814 with any questions, and we will be glad to help, or visit our website at CertifiedAutoCa.com.