Steer Clear: 8 Car Items to avoid Purchasing

These are things that promise to save you money or make you look cool. They might for a very short time, but then often we will see safety issues, or more mechanical issues because of these products. Sometimes using these products will cause you to fail inspection. We didn’t make the rules, but we do have to follow them.  So before using these products read and if you have questions ask.

1. Stop Leak of any kind- don’t purchase it for the oil, ac, power steering or coolant systems. 90% of stop leak is for lack of better word a gunk. What it is supposed to do and what it does are 2 separate things. It will not fully fix your car and can lead to more expensive repairs later than if you fixed it right the first time. What these products lead you to believe is that when you insert the product in the affected system wherever it is leaking will be glossed over and act as a sealer for that hole, imagine bubble gum on a PVC pipe. If that was where it would stop that would be great, and it would do what it is supposed to. What it does is gloss over where it is leaking and it may fill that area in, but it will keep going until it stops, most likely at a bend in hose or pipe, and it will make that opening smaller creating more pressure, or an outright clog in the system. So for instance, you might not be leaking coolant anymore, but still be overheating because the coolant can’t get through the system fast enough to do it’s job (think trying to suck up honey or syrup through a straw) If it blocks the system too hard and you don’t realize it or can’t do anything about it, because of where you are, guess who’s looking at an engine, a new ac compressor, radiator, power steering pump , the list goes on and on my friend. If you use it tell us so we can best help you.
   
2. Window tint- the amount of window tint allowed by state inspection standards is exact. If it is too heavy or not installed correctly you are either taking it off or not getting inspected. There is a link at bottom of the article regarding window tint. Over 85% of car manufacturers are tinting the windows to that measurement, so save your money and buy sunglasses.
3. Updating the exhaust, whether it’s to make your car sound like it got kicked in the gonads or that they dropped, 9/10 you will end up regretting it up here in our new England topography. Getting rid of the catalytic converter will fail you for state inspection, and if you decide to put a fart muffler on, it can change the routing of your exhaust, which then means it might not attach how it is designed. You would believe how many times we have found someone updating the exhaust to then have to swap it back or fail inspection.
4. Oversized tires- this mainly applies to trucks. Don’t do it, if they stick out past the wheel wells they will fail inspection, not to mention the extra strain it puts on your steering and suspension components. I mean unless you like loud tires, rough handling, alignments, by all means go for it, just keep the stock wheels and tires for inspection time. Same goes for wheel spacers- just don’t do it. PA inspection book statement link below.
5. Adding electrical components when you don’t know what you are doing. You can install a brake controller, so that you can use a trailer, but if you hook up to the wrong brown wire, suddenly, your lights, radio, or key don’t work. You can sometimes install an aftermarket radio, but again, if it is hooked up wrong, it may not work, causing you a big headache in the short term. That may or may not be expensive to fix. If you are going to do it, make sure you know what you are doing, or take it to someone else who does know. If you do it, and then it comes to us, we will secretly laugh at you, and you will get a new nickname.
6. Major sound upgrades, whether its more bases and speakers. If you feel the need to fill the doors and frame with spray foam so that your car shakes when you turn on the radio, It’s a bit excessive. You really aren’t impressing anybody, and yes we have had people do it. If you have any problems with your windows or door latches that we have to remove that spray foam, understand we aren’t putting it back, and there will be an extra charge for that. I seriously doubt that ladies dig it so don’t waste the moola there.
7. OBD2 fuel saver apparatuses- these plug into the OBD2 port and are said to save you fuel by supposedly remapping your engine and transmission pathways. There is very little supporting literature to say this actually works, and any time you start messing with your car’s computers can cost you big time. It’s no different than messing with your phone or computer operating systems. It’s set like that for a reason, and that reason is because it works. If the car manufacturer could get you more gas mileage, don’t you think they would if they could. That kind of technology would set them above their counterparts, allowing them better sales. Don’t drive like a butthead and you will have better gas mileage naturally.
8. Aftermarket upgrades like tuners, and such. If you are trying to make your car go ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM, instead of the ZOOM it is supposed to go, it will bite you in the long run. Chances are you are not going to upgrade everything that should be upgraded to make your car mechanically sound for the long run. Some of it may be illegal depending on your location. AND if you blow a motor or a transmission our policy is while we may replace it, there will be no warranty. Not too long ago, we did a 9k job on engine and turbo repair for a Subaru WRX where the kid took out the engine and the turbo. We did the repair but there was no warranty because we knew it was going to come back.  You got $9000 to throw down the drain?
   
   

What you should spend your money on:

• Yourself- make you the best you that you can be.
• Experiences- road trip, travel, go to a show- use these to make memories that will last you a lifetime, instead of a 5 second gratification that will be undone, in a short while.
• Food- PA has some awesome food you will not get anywhere else, enjoy it. Baconfest is coming up.
• Your family and friends- be a blessing, not a hindrance.
• A good actual charity that does what it advertises
• Learn a new skill- take a class or a certification course. You never know what might come in handy.
• Evan says coffee and sweets for your favorite tech!

You could spend all the money you want on your car doing the things above, chances are nobody sees it as cool, and you end up throwing a lot of money away on what people think of you, who won’t be there tomorrow. Peer pressure sucks no matter the age, but if they aren’t using it in their own car and being safe, there is no reason to use it on yours. We use what I call test bunnies at the shop for a reason, because if we won’t do it to our cars, why would we do it to people who pay us?

PennDOT – Vehicle Window Tint Fact Sheet (state.pa.us)
PennDOT Publication 45 (state.pa.us) oversized tires  page of document 40 section e statement ix