Frank Myers Auto Maxx Presents: Car Care Secrets Exposed/July 23, 2010

What You Need To Know About Auto Fluid Leaks

What does it mean when my vehicle is leaking oil?

frank myers auto repair winston salem

Oil leaks need to be checked ASAP. Frank Myers Auto can help you with that.

An oil leak (drips of brownish or black fluid) in your normal parking spot, garage or driveway, means that one of your engines gaskets is leaking. Leaks can range from easily repaired drain-plug gaskets from a careless oil change, to more difficult leaks such as intake manifold or head gasket leaks. The important thing is, you need to get your oil leak repaired as quickly as possible…oil is the life-blood of your car or light truck’s engine, if it is loosing engine oil, the engine can run hotter and the engine components will begin taking damage very quickly, leading to engine failure if any component is not getting oil. Even slow leaks can rapidly deteriorate, creating much larger leaks. Check your oil level before driving the vehicle in to the auto repair center at Frank Myers Auto Maxx, to ensure that you are not running on empty and causing damage to your engine.

 I see a Green Fluid under my car, what does it mean?

Frank Myers Auto can help you with your coolant leak in Winston-Salem.

Engine Coolant is usually a green (sometimes orange) fluid that might be leaking from your vehicle. The Engine Coolant provides cooling for your engine, allowing your engine components to properly cool. If the coolant is leaking, then the system is no longer sealed and pressurized. When the system is not pressurized, the coolant looses its capabilities to absorb as much heat from the engine. When pressurized, the boiling point fo the coolant is increased, to allow it to absorb more heat from the engine. When there is a leak, this pressurization does not occur. If you see green or orange fluid leaks under your vehicle, it is a good Idea to bring your vehicle in to Frank Myers Auto Maxx in Winston-Salem, NC as soon as possible, so that our Dealer Certified technicians can help you get your vehicle cooling system working properly.

 I see a Red Fluid Leak under my car, what can it be?

 Red fluid leaks are generally transmission fluid leaks. Transmission fluid is used for transmitting the power from your engine to the drive shaft, which in turn powers the wheels of your vehicle. Transmission fluid leaks can range from simple drain plug gasket failures, to much more difficult gasket or even torque converter leaks. In any case, it is a good idea to have your vehicle looked at quickly, as transmission fluid is under extreme pressures, so the beginnings of a leak can turn into a severe leak very quickly. Our Certified technicians are highly trained in determining the cause of your transmission fluid leak, and will be able to tell you the severity of the problem and the cost to repair. Bring your vehicle to the auto repair facility at Frank Myers Auto Maxx in Winston-Salem, NC for diagnostics today.

 There is a clear fluid under my vehicle, what is it?

 Clear fluid leaks can be one of several different fluids, Power Steering Fluid or Brake Fluid. Power Steering Fluid is used by your power steering system, which makes it easier for you to steer your vehicle, especially during low-speed manuevers such as parking. Brake fluid is even more crucial, brake fluid is used in the braking system to apply hydraulic pressure to your brake pads. If Brake fluid is leaking, this is VERY SERIOUS and needs to be taken care of quickly. A leak in the brake system means that every time you depress your brake pedal, brake fluid will be pumped out instead of applying pressure to the brake pads. This means that your brake pedal may become spongy, and your vehicle will not stop as quickly. Brake fluid leaks should be considered VERY SERIOUS, and should be looked at immediately.

To speak with a representative and to ask ANY car care question (and get a FREE answer) call 877-843-6943.

Questions about the dealership? Visit https://www.FrankMyersAuto.com

Frank Myers Auto To Be Awarded Tonight In Greensboro

Tonight is the night that Business Leader Media is proud to reveal the Top 100 Small Businesses in North Carolina for 2009-2010.

Frank Myers Auto Maxx will be recognized as one of the Top 100 small businesses in the entire state for the third year in a row. The hugely successful and nationally recognized used car dealerships, owned by Certified Master Dealer Tracy Myers, realized an astonishing 1 year growth of 42% and a 5 year growth of a whopping 153%. What makes these numbers even more remarkable is that the automotive industry as a whole has been in a downward spiral the past few years.

“In a few short hours, the entire Frank Myers Auto Maxx team will be once again honored by being named as one of the top 100 small businesses in North Carolina. I’m both honored and excited to accept this prestigious award on their behalf,” said Tracy Myers.

The 2009-2010 winners were ranked based on revenue growth, business achievement and community involvement and were chosen from more than 500 finalists. The rankings and profiles of the companies will appear in the June issue of Triad Business Leader magazine and will be recognized at an awards ceremony tonight (June 24, 2010) at George K’s Catering and Banquet Hall in Greensboro, NC. In 2009, Frank Myers Auto Maxx placed #27.

About Business Leader Media:
Business Leader Media is the #1 way to own this market. Founded in 1989, Business Leader’s publications, Web sites and events provide critical market intelligence to CEOs and business owners. The company publishes monthly business magazines in the Triad, Triangle, Charlotte and South Florida, as well as nationally through newsstand distribution.

About Tracy Myers, owner of Frank Myers Auto Maxx:
The original Frank Myers Store was started more than 83 years ago by Frank Myers, the Great-Grandfather of the current owner Tracy Myers and the Grandfather of the previous owner, Franklin Myers. Tracy has spent the past 15+ years trying to change the landscape of the car business and the bruised reputation of car salespeople all over the country. Tracy was one of the first 100 Certified Master Dealers in the Nation, a NIADA Eagle Award Winner and was the youngest recipient ever to be honored with the highest available distinction in the used car industry…the National Quality Dealer award. Frank Myers Auto Maxx was recently recognized as one of the Top 28 Independent Automotive Retailers in the United States by Auto Dealer Monthly Magazine, one of the Top 10 Internet Auto Retailers in the Nation & one of the Top 3 dealerships to work for in the country by The Dealer Business Journal. Tracy is also the Co-Creator of the world famous “Everybody Rides” program and author of the best selling book “Car Buying Secrets Exposed: The Dirty Little Secrets of a Used Car Dealer”, available at Amazon.com and better bookstores. He is a Christian Business Owner whose goal is to run his business “By the Book”. The dealership specializes in helping people find, qualify for and own the vehicle of their dreams with little or no money down…even with less than perfect credit. https://www.frankmyersauto.com/

2010 NIADA National Quality Dealer of the Year Named

Tracy Myers, owner of Frank Myers Auto Sales, was the 2006 winner.

Tracy Myers, owner of a Winston-Salem used car dealership, responds to the 2010 National Quality Dealer of the Year awards winner.

The 2010 Quality Dealer of the Year was unveiled last Thursday night at The National Independent Automobile Dealers Associations 64th Annual Convention and Expo in Las Vegas.

Paul Warren Claborn won the award, who was recognized during the ceremony with what is considered to be the most prestigious NIADA honor.

Claborn, who owns WholesaleCars.com in Albertville, Ala., has worked in the industry almost three decades during a career that started with him detailing cars as a high school student.

After earning the same honors from his state’s dealer association, Claborn was chosen from a group of 21 candidates for NIADA’s national honors.

To determine the winner, Northwood University provides a judge panel, which looks at various factors including how candidates have contributed to the industry and been involved with their respective communities.

“Since its inception, the National Quality Dealer of the Year Award has been the golden ring that all used car dealers strived to obtain,” stated 2006 NIADA National Quality Dealer of the Year, Tracy Myers.

“There’s no doubt that Paul and his family are as excited to have earned the right to be called NIADA’s Quality Dealer of the Year as much as me, my family, and my Team at Frank Myers Auto Maxx was back in 2006,” he added.

Looking at Claborn’s career in more detail, after detailing cars in his school days, he was able to open a home equity line of credit by working two jobs. He used this credit to purchase and sell vehicles via classified.

Claborn said he “was forced to start my automotive business” when the manufacturing plant where he was employed shut down.

And that he did, launching a wholesale business in 1981. At the time, he had just two employees, but would gradually build up his store.

These days, his company’s two locations — one of which just specializes as a Buy-Here, Pay-Here store — employ 22 people. Moreover, his membership in the Alabama IADA dates back to 1983.

Looking at his community involvement, Claborn gave Stepping Ahead — an addiction recovery program — a van, and has provided three local high schools with personal scholarships.

Claborn also takes part in jail and prison ministries. For the last three years, he has mentored a young fatherless boy.

“We live in the most wonderful country on the face of this earth. This country, like no other, affords us one guarantee, the pursuit of happiness,” Claborn stated. “It’s up to us as individuals as to how much effort we want to put into this pursuit.”

For more information on the 2006 NIADA National Quality Dealer of the Year, Tracy Myers, please visit https://www.frankmyersauto.com

Hallelujah! Ford Leads The American Car Revival

Ford Motor Company is a big winner in the latest JD Power study.

 Ford had been making sound decisions about the direction of their company even before the Big Three went to Washington back in the fall of 2008.  The automaker’s current CEO, Alan Mulally, was pivotal in the transformation. Mulally focused on the balance sheet and was able to cut costs, put money in the bank and avoid taking government bailout money unlike the other two big American automakers. The move gave Ford the money needed to restructure the company and develop better automobiles.

 Ford is now the highest-ranked mass-market automaker in initial quality. It also jumped into the list of top five brands in overall quality for the first time ever, and has 12 models that rank within the top three in their respective IQS segments — more than any other carmaker in the study — including capturing top honors in three segments with the Focus, Mustang and Taurus.

 General Motors (often called “Government Motors” these days) also did well, with 10 models that rank within the top three in their segments. Chrysler didn’t fare as well.

 This is in sharp contrast to last year’s results, when much of the discussion about automotive quality centered on the difficulties U.S. automakers were facing, and the perceptions that these problems were largely caused by poor product quality.

 “I’m happy to see that Domestic automakers have worked diligently to improve the quality of their vehicles, particularly since 2007,” says Tracy Myers, owner of Frank Myers Auto Maxx in Winston-Salem, NC. What is still lagging, however, is the consumer perception of domestic quality. “As much as I know it and other dealers know it, our customers just haven’t realized it yet” Myers says. “The folks that own a domestic car love them, but those that don’t still believe that foreign automakers build better automobiles. I can’t tell you how many times a customer will tell me that they would never buy a used Ford, Chevy or Dodge and they will only buy a Honda, Toyota or Nissan.”

 Unlike Ford, Toyota clearly is not having a good year. The once-shining example of quality and reliability fell from the sixth overall position in the manufacturer rankings in 2009 to 21st this year.

 “All of the recent recalls had quite an effect on the performance of Toyota,” Myers says. “Not surprisingly, we’ve seen an increase in concern over brakes, pedals and floor mats, all issues related to recalls.”

However, that doesn’t mean Toyota is down for the count. “This is the 24th consecutive year the study has been done, and Toyota was above average for 23 of those years,” Myers says.

– For more information on Tracy Myers or his used car dealership, Frank Myers Auto Maxx, please visit https://www.frankmyersauto.com

Frank Myers Auto Will Facilitate Chrysler Recall

Winston-Salem, NC Used Car Dealer Assists Chrysler Owners With Recall

Nearly 35,000 Dodge Calibers are being recalled in the United States by Chrysler to fix a potential problem with sticky gas pedals, the same issue that has affected millions of Toyotas.

Chrysler Group said it will recall about 25,000 Calibers in the U.S. from the 2007 model year and a limited number of 2007 Jeep Compass SUVs to inspect vehicles built between March and May of 2006. The remaining vehicles are in Mexico, Canada and elsewhere.

The pedals were made by CTS Corp., the Elkhart, Ind., company that manufactured pedals involved in the recall of more than 2 million Toyotas earlier this year. Chrysler told NHTSA the pedals were “a completely different design” and made “with different tooling” than the pedals involved in Toyota’s recall.

An investigation into the Chrysler pedals was opened by NHTSA in April. The auto company noted that the small SUVs have “smart brake” technology allowing the brake to override the gas pedal and safely bring the vehicle to a stop. Chrysler said it did not consider the problem a safety defect but decided to conduct a safety recall anyway.

The automaker said it was unaware of any reports of accidents, injuries or property damage related to the pedals. In documents filed with NHTSA, Chrysler estimated that 30 percent of the vehicles covered by the recall may need to have the pedal assembly replaced.

Robert Thomas, the Automotive Service Director at Frank Myers Auto Maxx in Winston-Salem, said that they are ready to handle the consumer demand. “Frank Myers Auto Maxx is, as usual, ready to handle this unfortunate situation. We are offering to facilitate the recall at no charge to anyone who owns any of the Chrysler products mentioned.”

To see if your car is included in the recall, call the service department at Frank Myers Auto Maxx in Winston-Salem, NC as soon as possible. The number is (336) 831-0656 or you can visit the dealership website at https://www.frankmyersauto.com