About Your Car's Fluids

Cars have a lot of different fluids. It's great to know how often they need changing, and to be aware of issues related to low fluids.

In this episode I talk to Kelly, a master technician at Station of the Stars in the Pico Robertson area of Los Angeles.

Station of The Stars

9448 W. Pico Blvd 90035 | (310) 275-9628

I ask Kelly to walk us through some important basics about gasoline, coolant, brake fluid, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, A/C refrigerant and windshield wiper fluid. 

I'll save differential and transfer case fluid for another episode, but for those of you with all wheel drive, those are good to know about as well!

This episode is sponsored by Vivi Sun Jewelry. Check out her website for gorgeous, handcrafted jewelry. And listen to the episode for the coupon code that will get you 10% your order!

We talk about brake fluid testing in this episode. If you're interested in owning your own tester, consider buying my suggested item to support the podcast. Any purchase through the link, I will receive a small commission.

Brake fluid tester on amazon

Stay in touch, share your thoughts, recommend your trusted mechanic as a guest, get good tips and find out when episodes drop by subscribing! Email us at goodcarmapodcast@gmail.com and visit the website goodcarmapodcast.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

The content of this podcast is presented for informational purposes, and the perspective and opinions expressed are based on the experiences of the hosts and guests, and do not be placed doing your own further research or having your car inspected or serviced at a qualified job. Today's episode is brought to you once again by Vivi Sun Jewelry, V-I-V-I-S-U-N.com. Be sure to check out her website for beautiful, one-of-a-kind jewelry. The designs are like nothing you've seen before. Take a look at her work in time for Mother's Day and take advantage of the Good Karma discount she's offering to all listeners of the podcast. At checkout, just put in good karma. That's karma with a C. That's your tube podcast. And welcome to Good Karma Podcast, where I hope to help students to fight cars one conversation at a time and provide some peace of mind instead of panic when it comes to what's going on under the hood. And today I think the conversation definitely does a little of both. I'm talking to Kelly, a master technician, about many of the various fluids that go into a car. A little bit about what to know, what to look out for, when to change it, and to talk to Kelly, I went back to one of my favorite shops, Station of the Stars, in the Pico Robertson section of Los Angeles. Last time I went and I talked with the owner, Sean, about air filters and mass airflow sensors, one of my first episodes. And this time I'm speaking with Kelly, his master technician, who's been in the business for at least 44 years with decades, uh, at Mercedes in particular. And it's such a treat to have a tech with that much experience. And if you're in the LA area, be sure to consider Station of the Stars for your next service. They're right at Pico at Beverly Drive, and their contact information will be in the show notes. I'm here with Kelly from Station of the Stars. And Kelly is a master technician, particularly from Mercedes, right? Correct. You worked was that the primary uh focus of your career?

SPEAKER_06 1:49

Yes. August of 1982, I got my first Mercedes factory certification.

unknown 1:58

Wow.

SPEAKER_06 1:58

And been doing it since.

SPEAKER_02 2:00

That's awesome. And we've talked in the past a little bit about how cars have changed and quite a bit. A lot of the changes are for the worse. But today we we might go back and talk about that in a future episode if you're open to it. But um today I just wanted to talk about helping people understand all the various fluids in the car and when or why they might need changing and how to take good care of them when they're in the car. So um I thought we could start just with plain old gas.

SPEAKER_03 2:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 2:30

So how important would you say it is um to use good quality gas from a quote top-tier gas station?

SPEAKER_06 2:37

Kind of as obvious as it sounds. You know, you can get low-grade fuel or you can get top-tier fuel. It's a level of refinement, not particular additives and things that are just designed for newer, later model computer controlled ignition and fuel systems.

SPEAKER_02 3:00

And honestly, I didn't know that there even were different tiered gas stations till I started learning about cars at all. I had no idea. And so when you're filling when you're filling your tank, um I think some people uh have uh the instinct to keep going past when it clicks stop. And what are the um risks of doing that or what what's a reason not to do that?

SPEAKER_06 3:27

Uh overfilling a fuel tank will potentially allow gas into what's called the charcoal canister, which is an emissions control device that lets the vapors from the fuel tank regenerate back into the engine, and also allow air to come into the tank while you're driving. Because obviously, as the fuel level goes down, it would create a vacuum in the tank if not vented to atmosphere. So, yeah, issues with that could be a very difficulty starting and potentially damaging the charcoal canister, which can give you numerous check engine codes and just problems.

SPEAKER_02 4:21

And the charcoal canister, um, as long as you take reasonable care of your car, there's no reason a charcoal canister should go bad, right?

SPEAKER_06 4:31

No. Unless you're it's nothing you should ever have to think about.

SPEAKER_02 4:35

Right, okay. Um and what about do you recommend against letting the gas uh level go too low? Like running it to near empty all the time.

SPEAKER_06 4:45

It's not going to harm anything, per se, but the only one downside is um when you have an empty tank, you have a lot of air in the tank. And that can create condensation and potentially allow moisture to build up in the tank.

SPEAKER_02 5:07

Oh, that's really interesting, because a lot of times you hear I've heard different I've I've definitely heard both sides, uh both of views on this, that um letting the gas tank go too low hurts the pump because the pump is warmed or cooled, sorry, by the flu by the fuel.

SPEAKER_06 5:25

But well, it's it's always gonna have fuel regardless of the level, or the car is going to stop. So if the fuel pump doesn't have enough fuel, the car will shut down instantly.

SPEAKER_02 5:41

Oh, and is there any so nowadays the fuel filters they used to be a separate component, right?

SPEAKER_06 5:47

And now if the fuel filter virtually non-existent. They're not in in cars.

SPEAKER_02 5:54

As far as a serviceable item goes, they sort of made it so now you have to change the whole pump.

SPEAKER_06 6:00

Exactly. The only thing is what's called a sock on the bottom of the fuel pump, which is a very, very fine mesh screen designed to keep particulates out and not enter the pump.

SPEAKER_02 6:16

So is there anything people might be doing to their car that causes the fuel filter to go bad prematurely or or get too clogged prematurely, and then they need a whole fuel pump?

SPEAKER_06 6:26

Questionable fuel.

SPEAKER_02 6:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 6:28

And generally by the supplier. Yeah. You know.

SPEAKER_02 6:34

Um okay, so how about uh coolant? Because uh coolant, um I also before learning about cars, I thought you you just I thought you just pour water in your car. And you could do that from like from a hose or anything. Um so what's the concept of the coolant system?

SPEAKER_06 7:02

Does have water, but the general rule of thumb for normal environmental conditions is a 50-50 mixture of coolant to water. A lot of the coolants that you'll buy nowadays is already pre-mixed, and we'll save 50-50 on it. Some people, you know, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota might want a little higher concentration of coolant to water.

SPEAKER_02 7:37

For the freezing aspects of it.

SPEAKER_06 7:40

Exactly. Because just water in in very cold climates can be lethal for the engine.

SPEAKER_03 7:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 7:49

They can actually crack blocks and crack heads, because as the water freezes, it expands, and in a steel block, there's really nowhere for it to go, and potential for damage there is extreme.

SPEAKER_02 8:06

What are there signs that someone should be concerned that they need new coolant or should generally no.

SPEAKER_06 8:16

The only thing really visually that you're going to see is if you look at hose connections and cooling pipes, when you see a a crusty buildup around it, which is fairly common. Aside from the leaking, a lot of times that's an indication that there is too high a concentration of coolant and not enough water. Because only the coolant will calcify it like that. Regular water would would never leave a trace. Only coolant and in uh a higher proportion than need be will give you that crusty buildup.

SPEAKER_02 9:03

And for servicing coolant is um is that a drain and refill or is a whole flush, or can you do either pine?

SPEAKER_06 9:13

Generally it's just a drain and refill. Um flushes were more for when you had cars with steel. Brass radiators, um, steel engine blocks, steel heads. Virtually everything now um is aluminum. Every radiator is aluminum and plastic. Um most engines are aluminum.

SPEAKER_02 9:42

Oh, so will a flesh damage?

SPEAKER_06 9:45

It it can depending upon the system. Some utilize very high pressure to do that. And uh a pressure that actually exceeds what the car would normally see. So um it's not a system that's prone to contamination because it's a very sealed system. So all you're really doing is just renewing the old coolant with new coolant with the stronger properties.

SPEAKER_02 10:18

And that's because over time the additives uh in the coolant will break down. You just need to refresh it. Okay.

SPEAKER_06 10:25

Right. The boiling point will will lower and it loses its effectiveness.

SPEAKER_02 10:31

So then the car is likely to overheat quicker.

SPEAKER_06 10:33

It's possible, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 10:35

Okay. So the coolant basically is um like uh it lowers the freezing point and raises the boiling point.

SPEAKER_03 10:43

Correct.

SPEAKER_02 10:44

Is there anything else uh people should think about for their coolant or watch out for?

SPEAKER_06 10:49

Virtually all light model cars now um have low coolant indicators. Yeah. And heed the warning, because overheating can lead to catastrophic failure of the engine. Yeah. Potentially thousands of dollars.

SPEAKER_02 11:07

Yeah. So and it's a like pull over right now kind of thing.

SPEAKER_06 11:11

If you see your not necessarily the low coolant light, but they'll usually always be in yellow. And the way most warnings on a vehicle work is the same as traffic lights. Green is good, yellow is caution, you need to look at this, and anything that comes up in red is essentially a stop immediately kind of scenario. So even if you're low on coolant, as long as you monitor the temperature of the engine and it stays within a normal range, you're okay until you can get to a service facility.

SPEAKER_02 11:56

Okay, so yeah, so some people I've had a friend who um he had some kind of mysterious coolant leak and just kept stopping to pour in coolant into his car. So it's not ideal, but that's safe enough to keep driving that way.

SPEAKER_06 12:09

Sure. As long as all the precautions of um removing a radiator cap when a cooling system can reach 10, 12 psi. Um, and that with boiling water, I've been there a few times myself, and it's not something you want to have happen to you.

SPEAKER_02 12:32

Yes, that's a good reminder to everybody that if you are checking your own coolant, 100% let the car cool off first.

SPEAKER_06 12:38

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 12:38

And the the cap will remind you too, but pay attention to it.

SPEAKER_06 12:41

Yeah. Um the one other thing you can do too is um generally speaking, when you open the hood, you'll always be able to find one of the radiator hoses up on top. Just squeeze it a little bit. If you can squeeze it easily with two fingers, there's no pressure. If you go and squeeze it and it doesn't budge, that means there's a lot of pressure. And do not open it.

SPEAKER_02 13:09

Yeah, give it give it some more time.

SPEAKER_06 13:10

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 13:11

Thank you. That's a great, great reminder. I know I had another question about coolant, maybe I'll remember it and come back. But let's move on to transmission fluid.

unknown 13:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 13:21

Because that's one that I also hear various uh guidances on. You know, some people have the idea that if they waited too long to do their transmission change, they shouldn't do it if the car has like X amount of miles.

SPEAKER_06 13:35

Absolutely correct.

SPEAKER_02 13:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 13:37

Absolutely correct.

SPEAKER_02 13:39

And how many miles are we talking, maybe? Is that like over 100,000 or something?

SPEAKER_06 13:43

General rule of thumb will be between 80, 80 and 100,000 if it's never been changed. Um what happens is parts of the transmission fluid will actually kind of turn to almost like tar.

SPEAKER_03 14:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 14:03

And what they're doing is sealing a lot of things inside the transmission, and over time the transmission has adapted to that fluid. So um I've seen it countless times when you pull out a dipstick and instead of being a red or a facsimile of red, if it's just black and everything, just put the stick back in. Don't touch anything. If it's slow, add a little bit, but draining it and refilling it, um, I'd probably say 50% of the time we'll kill the transmission within a matter of probably three, four months.

SPEAKER_02 14:50

Okay, and then if it's at that point, um I mean, will the transmission go bad anyways eventually? And like you might as well just wait for that.

SPEAKER_06 14:59

All transmissions have a limited lifespan.

SPEAKER_03 15:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 15:03

You know, there is no unlike engines, you know, there is no 300,000 mile transmission. Um one of the problems BMW had um late 90s was there was a big sticker on the transmission pan that said lifetime fluid, do not change.

SPEAKER_03 15:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 15:25

Okay. And what that meant was lifetime was the warranty for the car.

SPEAKER_03 15:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 15:35

Okay. There is no fluid that lasts a lifetime. Right. Simple as that.

SPEAKER_02 15:40

And would you say too that now that like a lot of the transmissions don't even have dipsticks and and people hear it's a sealed system, they think, oh, I don't need to change the fluid, obviously. But they should be like if you have a new car and it's sealed, you should be changing it at regular intervals.

SPEAKER_06 15:58

General rule of thumb, again, on it it always comes down to manufacturer recommendations. Yeah. And you check the maintenance book in your car and you keep flipping through, you'll find transmission service. But generally speaking, they've extended a little more as of lately, but between 50 and 60,000 miles, it should be serviced. Norm used to be about 30,000 miles for Mercedes.

SPEAKER_02 16:25

And can you talk a little bit uh again about drain and refill versus a full flush and when one is necessary or another?

SPEAKER_06 16:33

Flushing it's very rarely done because it's just not necessary.

SPEAKER_03 16:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 16:41

Um it depends on the vehicle too. Um some of them you uh in order to do a flush, you need a comprehensive machine that connects and interrupts between one of the cooling lines. And on most late model cars, that's almost impossible to reach.

SPEAKER_02 17:11

So was it more a requirement or necessary on older cars? Uh or could you still just do joint information?

SPEAKER_06 17:17

The the transmissions warrant is refined. Um, but a lot of it was a thanks of a company called B and G was a it was it was a way to make money. Yeah. You know? Yeah. Because normally all you do if it a lot of cars you cannot access the filter. So especially Honda's. So all you're doing is draining the oil that's in there and refilling it with the same amount. And obviously checking with the dipstick.

SPEAKER_03 17:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 17:54

Cars that don't use dipsticks is a much more complex or complicated scenario that um absolutely requires professional service.

SPEAKER_02 18:07

Um you did allude to it already um as far as what to look for on your own transmission fluid, that it should be around a red color.

SPEAKER_06 18:19

Correct. If if if you have a dipstick between and are there any sorry.

SPEAKER_02 18:25

Between red if someone did have a transmission leak, transmission fluid leak, are there symptoms they would notice?

SPEAKER_06 18:33

Sure. Well, first there's gonna be a puddle somewhere. And um transmissions do not have low oil level indicators. One of the first signs of a measurable amount of oil loss is gonna be transmission shifting issues, especially certain things in particular, um, uh a delayed engagement for reverse or a drive gear, a forward gear, um, can indicate a low fluid level. So, like when you press on the accelerator, you might have a delay before you kind of generally just going from park to driver reverse.

SPEAKER_02 19:18

Oh, oh, okay, sorry.

SPEAKER_06 19:19

Yeah, if you if you have an issue with the car while you're driving and stepping on the pedal, then it's too late.

SPEAKER_02 19:26

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_06 19:27

Oh, so at that at that point damage has been done.

SPEAKER_02 19:31

Oh, interesting. So if you're starting to feel it's a little weird just shifting out of park, then you should maybe get it looked at.

SPEAKER_06 19:39

Exactly. Ah, okay. Um especially if if you park in the same spot and you know, you notice a puddle underneath your car that's you know, a reddish color.

SPEAKER_02 19:52

I feel like that's um a good habit that I'm not even in after all this time of of looking under, you know, looking under where I park.

SPEAKER_06 20:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:02

Uh people should definitely do that.

SPEAKER_06 20:03

Absolutely. Absolutely, because gravity doesn't lie. And you know, uh physics 101 matter is neither created nor destroyed. It simply changes states. And it goes from being where it should be, and thanks to gravity, goes to being on the ground.

SPEAKER_02 20:26

Okay, so let's do brake fluid, because I've I've heard from several people, and again, I would include myself uh a couple years back, that didn't even uh a lot of people don't even realize you need to change brake fluid.

SPEAKER_06 20:39

Oh, there are countless cars where it's never been changed.

SPEAKER_02 20:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 20:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:44

We were talking about well, there's a couple of things to talk about with brake fluid, but one is that it's you mentioned it's hygroscopic when we were talking earlier. Correct. So it'll absorb moisture. So how does that affect how does that affect the performance and how quickly uh how soon you might need to change your fluid?

SPEAKER_06 21:02

Again, uh a very sealed system, so generally not really much contamination prone, but it just it breaks down. First indicator that's gonna be color. You know, right brake fluid is essentially a clear with yellow tint fluid.

SPEAKER_02 21:25

Yeah, and I've definitely inspected cars where it's just pitch black.

SPEAKER_06 21:28

Yep. And that can lead to seal failures in the master cylinder, the calipers, um blockage and the what are called the flux lines, the rubber hoses that connect the actual chassis to the wheel.

SPEAKER_02 21:48

Yeah, so that's really interesting. So it's not just like, oh, my brakes don't work as well, I'll change it, but now you've risked compromising half the components in the system.

SPEAKER_06 21:58

Sure. It's it's like Anything, no like never changing engine oil.

SPEAKER_03 22:03

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 22:04

It doesn't it doesn't experience the same contamination level that engine oil does, but it breaks down. Um obviously the change in color is gonna tell you something. Yeah, that you know it is vulnerable to age and just degradation, you know.

SPEAKER_02 22:25

Yeah, and um people can check their own brake fluid.

SPEAKER_06 22:28

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 22:29

Um there's an easy, cheap tool.

SPEAKER_06 22:31

Generally, yes.

SPEAKER_02 22:33

Even besides looking, like looking.

SPEAKER_06 22:35

There's a visual one, yeah. And then there is one that actually measures the the quality.

SPEAKER_02 22:42

And that though, people should be careful because it's pretty corrosive fluid, right?

SPEAKER_06 22:47

Yes. So definitely very harmful for paint and skin.

SPEAKER_02 22:53

Right. So don't maybe don't put the cap like on the edge of the car that it could eat the paint.

SPEAKER_06 22:58

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 22:59

And also, since it's hydroscopic, do you want to try to like do it as quickly as possible so you're not exposing it to air for for too long?

SPEAKER_06 23:06

No. I mean you don't you don't want to do it outside in the rain kind of thing. But yeah, you know, it it's every little bit contributes to longevity.

SPEAKER_02 23:16

Yeah. And then you mentioned it's a sealed system, which is why it's important not to top off your brake fluid. Like if it's low, there's a big reason, right? Either the brake pads are low or give a leak.

SPEAKER_06 23:27

Exactly. Yeah. And virtually, I I think I can say every car has a red warning for low brake fluid. Oh, yes. Every car.

SPEAKER_02 23:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 23:36

Because that is a critical safety issue.

SPEAKER_02 23:40

What about power steering fluid? Um, not all cars anymore have power steering fluid, right? Some are electronic power steering. Um but it's interesting symptoms if your your power steering is bad, right? Or your fluid's bad. Like your car can start groaning.

SPEAKER_06 23:57

When your car starts groaning, that is indicative of a leak in the system.

SPEAKER_02 24:04

Oh, a leak, not just the fluid's bad.

SPEAKER_06 24:06

No. No, you regardless of the condition of the fluid, will not make that noise. Um, but when you hear that, there's a leak, and what that is, is allowing air into the power steering system. So that's the result of that is that groaning noise when you turn. Yeah. And that means something's leaking. Simple as that.

SPEAKER_02 24:32

That fluid also is that same thing where it has additives and needs to be changed periodically?

SPEAKER_06 24:38

Yeah. Not nearly as critical.

SPEAKER_02 24:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 24:41

Um just due to the nature of it. But um a lot of different vehicles w will have extremely dedicated fluid for their systems. Some mineral oil, some power stirring fluid, some transmission fluid. Um always need to, it's usually on the cap, on the reservoir, on the pump. Um, or if not, refer to your owner's manual for the the correct fluid type, because incorrect fluid mismatching can can be bad.

SPEAKER_02 25:16

Okay, and so yeah, so that's it that is another good fluid for people to keep an eye on their levels. Absolutely. People can keep an eye on all of these, pretty much. Maybe not transmission if transmission.

SPEAKER_06 25:28

Transmission mostly the car is very difficult. But the quality of lay model transmissions, it's so good that that they have done that intentionally because they don't want people, you know, leave it alone. And um, if it does need service, it should be professionally done.

SPEAKER_02 25:48

Um and speaking of that, doing it professionally, um, let's talk just for m uh a minute about uh AC refrigerant. Um because they do sell cans in the store, but um what I always learned is like that's you shouldn't try to do that on your own.

SPEAKER_06 26:09

If you're having to get one of these cans to top it off, there's a leak somewhere. So that's only going to be a temporary band-aid which could last, you know, some people five minutes. Uh you know, could last two days.

SPEAKER_03 26:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 26:25

But if it was low, the only reason it went low was because it's leaking. So again, um considering the nature of of air conditioning and some of the pressures involved and stuff, it's one of those ones that really should best left to a professional. All cars over time will lose a small amount. The plumbing system obviously goes from the condenser in the very front of the car to the compressor to a bunch of lines to the evaporator inside the car, so there's just a a lot of space and and junctions where you know a small leak can occur. So and even from the um shrader valves underneath the caps. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 27:14

Um people can check that, right? If they um listen well, you don't want to put your face too close to it. But if you if you hear a big leak of hiss of air.

SPEAKER_06 27:24

If if you suspect a shrader valve is there's nothing wrong with just spraying a little window spray on the top of it and look for bubbles.

SPEAKER_01 27:35

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 27:36

Yep, there's a little soapy water.

SPEAKER_02 27:38

Soapy water, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 27:39

Not gonna hurt anything.

SPEAKER_02 27:40

Which is a great thing uh to keep in your car, anyways, to check if you run over nail, right?

SPEAKER_06 27:46

Same way you check a tire. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 27:48

Okay, okay, great. So, yeah, the the high pressure and low pressure lines of the refrigerant system each have caps and you can take those off, listen for uh a hiss or spray.

SPEAKER_06 28:00

It's not a common by anyone. Um hoses and compressors are usually the the source of the leak.

SPEAKER_03 28:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 28:11

Right. Um leaks in an AC system also can be visually detected a lot of times by if you look at the joints and the pipes and all that stuff, um refrigerant has a a good concentration of oil in it, refrigerant oil, which lubricates the compressor. So when the freon leaks, the oil leaks with it, and it will leave a tattletale dark sign.

SPEAKER_02 28:43

Where sorry, where will you be able to see that?

SPEAKER_06 28:45

Um on an air conditioning hose, the compressor.

SPEAKER_02 28:49

Oh, and also nowadays the um a lot of those oils that are part of that system um have dye in it. So you can even use um correct black light black light.

SPEAKER_06 29:01

Yep, yep, I we do that regularly.

SPEAKER_03 29:04

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_06 29:05

Um cars that um we service that weren't down dramatically on Freon, but were low. Um when we recharge them, we will add an ounce or two of oil with this dye in it, and then let the customer continue driving. And then if it loses efficiency again or the next opportunity, you go over the car with the black light, and you'll find things that you just never could have found without it.

SPEAKER_02 29:39

Yeah, this is a great um point that many of the different fluids, I don't I don't know if it's all the different fluids in the car, but many of them have their own specific dyes you can buy at an auto parts store and you can pour. So it's a great point. Um, one for people's own peace of mind, they can do it themselves and know that they can like then a day or an hour or a day or two later look for where that seems to be leaking from.

SPEAKER_06 30:04

And and you can even buy a little black light or any hardware store.

SPEAKER_02 30:10

Yeah, and um some come with those like yellow glasses too that helps you see it.

SPEAKER_06 30:15

They help they help, but they're not necessary.

SPEAKER_02 30:17

Right.

SPEAKER_06 30:18

Um but that's a great obviously don't look into the black light.

SPEAKER_02 30:23

Don't yes.

SPEAKER_06 30:24

That's the main purpose of the safety glasses. But some people some people you gotta explain that to. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 30:30

It's it could never hurt to put good good uh safety points out there. And then it's also a great point that you're making that you said you got this is your practice, that if someone um brings their car in and there's a mysterious leak, and they're being recommended, you know, a bunch of things right there on the spot, maybe they could get a second opinion or go somewhere where they're gonna say you let's not rush into something, let's give it some time, we could find out where this is coming from.

SPEAKER_06 30:57

And the other aspect of that is simply common sense of when you look at an engine and you see multiple leaks, you always start with whatever is the highest. You know, because it's gonna leak down onto other things, and if you're unsure about how many things are, clean it as best as possible, and then as you address the repairs, you start from top to bottom. You know, you don't do an oil pan gasket first before doing a valve cover gasket.

SPEAKER_02 31:29

Right.

SPEAKER_06 31:29

Because the oil the the highest might be leaking and making it look like oil pan gasket never could have leaked up. Right.

SPEAKER_02 31:36

So okay, that's awesome advice.

SPEAKER_06 31:40

And the one other thing you said about uh dyes and whatnot, um I lived in New York for a while and uh Amaco, which was a East Coast gas station, one of their commercials was I thought this very interesting, um, Amaco, clearly different. And they showed a beaker of their fuel which was crystal clear. Okay. The only reason that was is because every fuel manufacturer has to put a tagament in their fuel. Blue, pink, yellow. There's a slight coloration everything to identify where the fuel came from. They called this clearly different because they were the ones lucky enough to get zero as the added tagament. You know?

SPEAKER_01 32:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 32:37

You're zero, then your one, blue, your two, green, your three, red, four, yellow.

SPEAKER_02 32:44

So they turned that against everyone else.

SPEAKER_06 32:46

They they just they used it at their advantage when it wasn't really, you know, your fuel isn't any different than anybody else's. Yeah. You know, clearly different was, you know.

SPEAKER_02 32:57

That actually reminds me back to my uh coolant question, just really quick about um how how it's so important to use the right coolant for your particular car, and there's lots of different colored coolants.

SPEAKER_03 33:07

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 33:08

And I wonder your view on um places that say they use universal coolants, so they can just top off your coolant for you.

SPEAKER_06 33:15

Yeah. Um if it's a small amount, I would just use water. Um, because the cross-contamination and in some coolants can um I can't remember what it was, but it was Dex Cool, which is a GM coolant, and some other ones when mixed would actually almost like start turning into jello.

SPEAKER_02 33:41

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_06 33:42

They did not mix. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_02 33:44

So it's super important if you are doing your own coolant, um, you can get it at any uh auto part store, but just make absolute sure you're you're getting the right one for your car, and it'll say right on the once again.

SPEAKER_06 33:55

We're back to the maintenance book. We're back to the maintenance book once again.

SPEAKER_02 34:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 34:01

Um that booklet in your glove box will tell you everything to get the most longevity out of your vehicle.

SPEAKER_01 34:10

Is it worth talking about windshield wiper fluid for just oh you know, only in very cold climates.

SPEAKER_06 34:17

For windshield wiper fluid, um where it can freeze. East Coast winter washer fluids have a high alcohol content. So they won't freeze. Oh, if it gets sub-freezing, yeah, your washer fluid is just you know, water and a little bit of ammonia and color kind of thing, and it will just freeze hard as a block.

SPEAKER_02 34:41

So if that freezes in your system there through the motor and everything, will it eventually it'll just be a little bit more.

SPEAKER_05 34:47

The washer fluid?

SPEAKER_02 34:48

Yeah, will it melt eventually or will it ruin the components?

SPEAKER_05 34:52

No. Um it can crack reservoir tanks.

SPEAKER_02 34:56

Yeah, okay, but the motors should still be okay. Oh, okay, that's good. I feel like the the thing I have to watch out for is because my car takes blue coolant, and I have both the coolant and the wiper fluid in my car, and I need to make sure I don't accidentally swab them. Uh accurate. Yeah, so I have to be very I have to make sure I'm not being um absent-minded at all. Though I'd rather put coolant in my wiper tank than wiper fluid in my coolant, I guess.

SPEAKER_06 35:23

Or it would it's a 50-50. Really?

SPEAKER_02 35:25

It's because is it close enough to water that I wouldn't kill everything?

SPEAKER_06 35:29

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 35:30

Oh, okay, that's good.

SPEAKER_06 35:31

And the additives are minimal and alcohol, which eventually will burn itself out.

SPEAKER_03 35:36

Awesome.

SPEAKER_06 35:37

But coolant in the washer reservoir would have to remove the reservoir, flush it. Because it's gonna leave residue that will stay there and streak your windows for a very long time.

SPEAKER_02 35:51

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_06 35:52

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 35:52

Um okay, and then we don't have to talk about just regular engine oil unless you want to bring up a certain point, but I always like to ask everyone, just in their own words, to express to people how important it is to stay up to date, uh, you know, stay on top of your regular oil changes, and maybe if there's if there's any like that is the one thing that will determine the longevity and happiness that you have with your engine.

SPEAKER_06 36:21

Right. Um, it's the only thing they really need, you know, is oil. It's it's the same as blood to a human being.

SPEAKER_02 36:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 36:31

You know.

SPEAKER_02 36:32

And over your years of experience, have you come across a lot of people who didn't really know that and they, you know, kind of ruined cars that didn't need to be ruined? Oh.

SPEAKER_06 36:44

Yeah. Happened to me. Oh not one of my cars, but um a friend of a family friend had a Mercedes-450 SL that had this was in the early 90s, that had about it was under 20,000 miles on the car, and one of the camshafts went bad. So I went and I replaced the camshafts, and I figure let's change the oil. And this has a 22 millimeter drain plug. Particular it has cells, giant hole, giant drain plug. The car was cold, I took the plug out, and nothing happened. And it was bloop.

SPEAKER_03 37:37

Oh boy.

SPEAKER_06 37:38

Bloop.

SPEAKER_03 37:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 37:40

Bloop. Um about nine quarts of oil came out, but to find out, the car never had the oil changed once. And it's 20 years of life and twenty thousand miles. Had I known then what I know now, that oil that I drained in the pan, I would have put directly back into the motor. Because when I put nine quarts of fresh oil in that car, it smoked. It just went crazy. Same thing like with transmission fluid. If it's too old or too bad, changing it, it's gonna hurt, not help. And ended up a lawsuit and and everything, and all out of a random act of kindness that you know is checked oil. The other thing, too, um, that I should have known when I took the filter off um for the first session of the car's life. Yeah, it's different from the standard replacement fissure that you use on every service. And I should have known when I saw that something is not right, and seeing the oil not draining out and lobbing out. Um, like I said, if I had put that oil right back in the engine with the camshaft repair that I did, the ticking noise was gone. But now the car smoked like a uh James Bond car. And that was from a random act of kindness.

SPEAKER_02 39:09

So do you know what ended up happening with the car?

SPEAKER_06 39:12

Uh no, as you might imagine, I no longer associated with them. It was mutual because I tried to explain my point, and he explained his point, and both made sense, you know. Yeah, I I did do this to your car, but good god, I had no idea what I was starting with. You know, so that's uh that's just a push right there, but cost me a lot because obviously there was no paperwork involved, and small claims court he wins.

SPEAKER_02 39:40

Um, so yeah, that's a hard lesson of not even your own fault, but dealing with someone who's not someone else's neglect willing to change their car.

SPEAKER_06 39:50

I didn't even think was possible aside from the low mileage, the fact that the car was almost 20 years old.

SPEAKER_02 39:56

Yeah. Um well I was talking to um I was talking about talking to my teacher about this, and we were saying how you know just because you find an old car with low mileage, uh that's not a necessarily a selling point.

SPEAKER_06 40:09

No.

SPEAKER_02 40:09

Because you don't know how it was taken care of, but what old fluids are in there.

SPEAKER_06 40:12

So many things that need to be checked.

SPEAKER_02 40:15

Yeah. And the moisture, right, can build up on that.

SPEAKER_06 40:17

That's rust and and uh electrical wiring. Yeah. That's what I've seen to the the people that manufactured their vehicles spent millions of dollars on R D. And in that one book, the maintenance book, they will tell you everything that they found needs to be addressed, at what time increments, when and how and with what you follow that, y you will have a car that should easily give you two hundred thousand miles of essentially trouble free driving. There are always going to be some issues on later model cars, especially with cooling systems, because everything is plastic now and they the heat cycles of hot cold, hot cold, you know, they just they warp, they crack. It's not like the old days of, you know, brass radiators and you know, copper and metal and stuff. Everything's plastic to to save weight for fuel efficiency and all that other stuff. But um y y you look back at a lot of the older cars as of right now, Mercedes men's and BMW, they make great cars, but nobody makes anything right now that will ever be considered a classic car. Like the 55 Mercedes, they'd go for two, three million dollars. Yeah, you know, there's nothing that's being made now that has anything unique about it. They're all just plastic and they're they're designed for you know, uh essentially probably about a 10-year lifespan. That's it.

SPEAKER_02 42:11

But it's still worth taking care of your car.

SPEAKER_06 42:13

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely, especially um when you want to turn around and sell that car, you know, w when you can show verified maintenance logs, it's I I used to watch a show uh airplane repo. I don't know if you've ever seen it.

SPEAKER_03 42:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 42:33

Um these guys professionally um people that have defaulted on loans for their learjets and stuff like that, they go and they they snag them back. Um an example, one time they got a a a four million dollar learjet, okay, which had a an absolute value of four million dollars. Um since they did not have the logbook for the plane, the value was two million dollars because they could not verify any of the work that had ever been done on this plane. And even though it's the same thing with or without, the value was cut in half because they could not show any proof of maintenance.

SPEAKER_02 43:22

Did they have an expl any explanation? Did they swear they did do maintenance or do you think maybe they're it's not that I'm I'm I'm sure they did.

SPEAKER_06 43:30

Um, but the the problem was that they generally the the flight log will be kept in the plane.

SPEAKER_03 43:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 43:37

And shady people who do this know, no, I got that locked up in my safe at home.

SPEAKER_03 43:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 43:43

If I need it, I know where it is, but I'm not gonna leave it on the plane because these guys break into the plane and take it, they have the log book, they've just doubled the value of the plane that they're repossessing. Simply because they had proof of maintenance and proof of service. And the same thing with any card, aside from the visual, interior, exterior. When you can hand somebody a you know a folder that has all the receipts from infancy, you're gonna be expecting a lot more money than the guy who you know literally has nothing. Yeah, I did everything, but you know, you can prove it. It's gold.

SPEAKER_02 44:28

That's such a good reminder to stay organized and uh keep track of everything.

SPEAKER_06 44:33

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 44:34

Um well I can't thank you enough for taking this much time to talk with me today. Uh it's so good to be back here at Station of the Stars on Pico and Beverly, and I'll have all the information in the show notes on how to find the shop. And you can come by and talk to Sean or Kelly, and they are experts and will help you out with your car, especially Mercedes people, too, if you want to.

SPEAKER_04 44:58

German, German. Anything German.

SPEAKER_02 45:00

Oh, anything German. Okay, if you want um a Master Tech uh stop by station of the stars. And ask Sean about uh if you mention good karma, he will work with you on a discount.

SPEAKER_04 45:10

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 45:11

Okay, Kelly, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_06 45:13

Absolutely my pleasure.

SPEAKER_02 45:14

Talk to you soon.

unknown 45:15

Okay. Bye.

SPEAKER_02 45:17

Okay, thanks for listening. Uh, just a couple peace of mind pointers I wanted to mention. Good habits that can lead to peace of mind. One is knowing your service intervals from your owner's manual, or you can find it online. Of course, knowing at what mileage or time interval you should be addressing different components will definitely give you some peace of mind because it will give you some agency and ability to know what your own car needs and you, you know, barring some unforeseen repairs. But there's no reason to go in completely blind to a service at a shop or dealership and um and just you know hope you're being told the right thing, it's good to have an idea. Another good habit is to check for leaks periodically, whether on the ground or by popping up with the hood once in a while. Um, some leaks will adhere to the surface of the car, like an oil pan or underneath the engine and not drip all the way to the ground. So if your car is high enough to look under it, or if you can use a camera or a mirror, that's a great thing to do once in a while, too. Um, next is knowing about dyes. I feel like I thought it was so cool to find out about uh this because it's a great way to figure out where a leak is coming from if it's not super obvious. It can be used for engine oil, coolant, power steering, uh, and AC, but AC definitely recommend not trying to do that yourself. But good to know that there's a good chance that there already is some dye in the oil in your AC system. So with a black light, maybe you can um can detect something. And lastly, I wanted to quote Kelly directly on what he said about the most important item, regular on-time oil changes. He said it is quote, the one thing that will determine the longevity and happiness that you have with your engine. So there you have it. Oil changes are directly related to happiness. I could not have asked for a better or more good karma quote. Uh okay, guys, thank you so much. Consider stopping by Station of the Stars for your next service for those of you in West LA. Check out vivi-sun.com to check out great jewelry and good Mother's Day gift ideas or year-round, beautiful, original, handcrafted jewelry. Information on both is in the show notes. Please drop a review, send an email, hit five stars. I'd truly appreciate anything to support the podcast. Oh, and I'm gonna have um links to in this episode, I'll have one to the Break Fluid Tester. In case anyone's interested in having that for themselves, uh, I'll put that in the show notes. And that's a great way you can also support the podcast just by buying yourself something using my links. I love buying myself things. I hope you do too. And I hope you'll consider buying some of the suggested items that I will post periodically. Okay, guys, thank you, and I'll see you down the road.