Odometer Fraud: Warning Signs

Odometer from a 1993 Ford Ranger. This vehicle has 300,000 miles on it, and has rolled over three times.
When this vehicle was purchased in 1999 from a dealership, the odometer said 72,000. After knowing the warning signs,
and having us check it out, the owner questioned the dealership, who then looked into it further and said
"Oh, you're right. It has 172,000 miles, NOT 72,000."

KSL recently ran a story about the rise of  odometer fraud in Utah. Odometer fraud is hard to detect, but besides a carfax report, here are a few other things you can check before buying a vehicle that seems "to good to be true" on the mileage:

• Gas and brake pedals: A vehicle with higher miles will have brake and gas pedals that have been used a lot. If they are overworn on a vehicle with low miles, this is a red flag.
• Tires: Ask about the tires that are on the vehicle. If the vehicle has extremely low miles and the owner has replaced the tires a few times, or if the owner claims they are the original tires and they are extremely worn, this is also a red flag.
• Leaks: As vehicles age, there may be some oil seeping in older engines. 
• "Trust Your Gut": We have all heard this popular phrase. The bottom line is, if it seems to good to be true it usually is.

As we have said before, knowledge is power, and the more informed you are when buying a vehicle, the better chance you have of buying a good reliable vehicle that is going to last. 

If you ever have any questions when buying a new vehicle, or would like us to check it out first, we are always happy to. Just call or come in any time!

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History Of The Logo: Abarth

Info from Car Logos: 

Abarth is an Italian racing car maker founded by Italian-Austrian Karl (Carlo) Abarth in Turin in 1949. Abarth was sold to Fiat on July 31 1971, and the racing team sold to Enzo Osella. Abarth became the racing department of Fiat, managed by famed engine designer Aurelio Lampredi.

The Abarth logo consists of the following key elements:

• The shape of the logo represents a shield which symbolizes the notion of victory. You can find some of the other racing logos like Porsche also have a shield in their logo.
• The red, white and green represent the colors of the Italian Flag.
• The scorpion is the key part of the logo and represents the astrological sign of Karl Alberto Abarth who was born on November 15th 1908.
• The red and yellow colors apparently represent the racing world. 

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Getting Your Vehicle Ready For Winter

With winter coming on, a properly maintained vehicle should have no issues with the change of weather. If you have not had your car maintained properly, there are some things you will need to check before Winter is here in full force. Here are some important things you can check to ensure your vehicle is ready for winter, and why they need to be checked before winter sets in:

• Anti Freeze
• Battery 
• Emergency Winter Kit
• Tires Part One
• Tires Part Two 
• Windshield Wipers
• Tips from ACDelco
• Tips from AAA and West Valley City
• Stay tuned next week when we cover another important check!

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GETTING READY FOR WINTER: Batteries

Cold temperatures decrease the power of a battery.

Batteries are rated as CCA cold cranking amps. That is the power the battery will produce at -18 Celsius or -39 degrees Fahrenheit. We have testers that will check the CCA of a Battery in 10-15 seconds. The CCA is different for the car you have. For example, Diesel trucks have 2 batteries because they need a lot more CCA to run them.

The old wives tale is that if you store a battery on cement it will drain a battery. The fact is, cement is always colder and it lowers the temperature of the battery, which lowers the power it will produce.

Everyone thinks that cold is harder on your battery, but the fact is that HOT weather is harder on your battery. More batteries fail in HOT weather than cold, but cold weather also wears on batteries.

If you don’t have your battery tested before the winter, when the extreme cold comes, your battery will not start your car.

Everybody has a tendency to buy batteries in reverse to what they should:

• Example: If your battery fails when the car is pretty new, most people go ahead and put the best battery in it; when the car gets a little older ,most people tend to not put in a good battery because their vehicle is older. Just the opposite should be happening. But when the car is newer you starter and alternator and everything in the car is in better shape; when your car is older, that's when the car will need the better battery because the starter and alternator aren't as good as when the car was newer.

As we have said before, proper maintenance will usually keep you from having those surprises of going out to your car on a chilly morning, and not having it start. Proper maintenance is always the key!

If you would like to have the CCA of your batter tested before winter, or have any battery questions in general, give us a call at (801) 966-6021.

Read more about getting ready for winter.

read more "GETTING READY FOR WINTER: Batteries"

History Of The Logo: BMW

BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke or Bavarian Motor Company. The company was established in 1913 and based in Munich, Germany. It started out as an aero engine manufacturer, hence the company logo. The logo comprised of four quadrants of alternating white and blue color. It is a stylized representation of an airplane propeller spinning against the clear blue sky. The logo represents a white propeller blade against a blue sky. It reflects the origins of BMW as a maker of military aircraft engines during WWI. Also, white and blue are the traditional colors of Bavaria.

Read more HERE.

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GETTING TO KNOW US: Mark

Mark is the owner of Gines Auto Service. He worked at both Clyde's Chevron with his dad and also ran Gines Auto Service, for a total of 38 years.

He is an ASE Certified Mechanic, and has been interested in working on vehicles since he was a young boy. His father, Clyde Gines, owned Clyde's Chevron in Kearns/West Valley for many years, and his mother says that when he was a boy, if he was nowhere to be found, they would call up to his dad's shop and find him there.

Mark grew up in Kearns and graduated from Kearns High School, where he met his wife Marianne. Together they have four children and six grandchildren.

Mark currently lives in Lakepoint and owns four horses. He spends much of his free time in the mountains "getting away from the rat race city" riding his horses. He also enjoys hunting, fishing, mountain drives, travelling, and family parties.

One of his favorite part of owning Gines Auto Service is getting to know the customers. Customers love coming in to visit with Mark and chat while their vehicles are being serviced. He enjoys the shuttle service that Gines Auto Service provides, and being able to get to know customers while taking them to and from the shop.

Stop in and say hi to Mark, and make sure to mention you read his spotlight this week! You will receive $5 off your total bill THIS WEEK ONLY if you mention at the time of service that you read this spotlight!

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WINNER! Disney On Ice Tickets!

Congratulations toSteve Johnson!
He was randomly selected as the winner for a family four-pack of Disney On Ice Treasure Trove Tickets!
Congratulations, and enjoy the show!
Learn more about Disney On Ice Treasure Trove and how you can buy tickets. There are still tickets available!

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GETTING READY FOR WINTER: Windshield Wipers

With winter coming on, a properly maintained vehicle should have no issues with the change of weather. If you have not had your car maintained properly, there are some things you will need to check before Winter is here in full force. Join us over the next few weeks as we discuss these important vehicle checks.

Get ready for winter by making sure you have good
windshield wipers

Getting Ready For Winter: Check your windshield wipers!

There is nothing worse than driving in a snowstorm and having your windshield wipers leave streaks across your window. It is best to have them checked before you are going to need them, so that when you do need them in a wintery snow storm, they are there for you.

We get asked all the time: Is it worth it to buy the expensive wipers? What is the difference between the cheap wipers and the more expensive ones? This is one of those cases where "you get what you pay for". We used to only carry the cheaper wipers, but after customers coming back frequently to have them replaced, we decided to try out the more expensive ones. Once you buy a good pair of wipers, you will never go back to the old cheap ones. The more expensive ones last longer, are sturdier, and are more reliable when you need them during a snowy winter storm.

A word about your wiper motor, and making it last:

How many of you go outside on a cold winter morning, are running late, and instead of scraping off your windshield, you turn on your windshield wipers? This is one of those things NOT to do if you want to avoid costly repairs. Turning on your wipers instead of scraping off your windshield will ruin your wiper motor. It is such a small task to do to avoid having to pay us a lot of money to repair something that shouldn't have broke in the first place. 

Another tip is to make sure when you turn your car off, make sure your wipers are also turned off. If you leave them on, the first thing that's going to happen when you start your car is that they are going to start wiping. If you have a heavy distribution of snow on your windshield, this can ruin your motor!

If you ever have any questions on wipers, or want us to show you the difference between the quality of wipers, stop by our shop any time! We are always glad to go over it with you. We can also discuss what kind of wipers would be best for your specific vehicle and driving conditions. 

Read HERE about more things you can check on your vehicle before Winter is here.

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GETTING TO KNOW US: Scott

Scott has worked at Gines Auto Service for nine years, and is our master technician. He has been an automobile technician for thirty three years, and got his start when he was younger working on his own vehicles and learning from his dad, who owned a repair shop.

In his free time, he enjoys traveling, camping, fishing and shooting. Something you may not know about Scott is that he enjoys experimenting with cooking and trying new recipes, and he owns a fancy new Camaro, which he enjoys taking road trips.

Stop by this week and mention you read about Scott, and/or say hello to him, and you will receive $5 off your total service. This week only!

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FRIDAY FREEBIE: Outside Vehicle Purchase Checkover

When buying a new-to-you vehicle, you do not want to go into the purchase blindly. Make sure that you know what you are buying, and that you are not getting scammed out of your money.

This is one of the free services we offer: bring the new vehicle over to our shop, and we would be glad to look under the hood, look at the tires, check for water damage, etc. to make sure you are getting a good deal and not buying a vehicle that is more headache than you want. As long as we don't have to pull it into one of our bays, we are always glad to check it over for free.

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