Tips To Share #1: 6 Car Repairs You Can't Afford to Skip

By Jamie Page Deaton

No matter what strange noise your car is making, it almost always turns into the ca-ching of your mechanic's cash register gobbling up your savings. Because car repairs are expensive, it's tempting to let them slide. But putting off or skipping certain repairs can be a costly and even dangerous game.

Here are six car repairs you might be tempted to skip to save a little cash. But we'll show you how making that call could cost you a lot more in the long run.

1. Brake Pads
It seems like common sense: Don't neglect your car's brakes. Still, when it's time to replace your car's brake pads, it's easy to look the other way. For one thing, brake pads tend to wear gradually, so you might not notice changes in your braking performance right away. Secondly, a car with worn brake pads will still stop -- just not as well. So what's the harm in saving some money and holding off?

It turns out the harm in not replacing your brake pads is about $400. When your brake pads are worn, they can cause damage to brake rotors. As the rotors rub against the worn pads, they become warped, which makes it tougher to stop the car (if you feel your car shudder as you brake, you probably have warped rotors). Fixing the rotors requires that they be turned or smoothed out -- something that requires a mechanic and can run over $100 per rotor. If the rotors need to be replaced, you'll end up spending four times what it would have cost to replace the brake pads.


2. Oil Change
An oil change should cost you around $40 at most quick oil change stations. And that same station will probably tell you to come back in three months or 3,000 miles. But do you have to? It depends. That old rule of thumb still applies to some cars, but others can go much longer between oil changes. To find out how long your car can go between changes, read your owner's manual.

After you've found out the oil change interval for your car, follow it. Oil is like your engine's blood. But unlike your blood, all sorts of impurities build up in unless your oil is changed regularly -- not to mention that all engines lose some oil. Too much buildup and not enough oil lead to your engine seizing up. Sure, you can save $40 by putting off an oil change, but you could end up spending $4,000 on a new engine.


3. Air Filter
Changing an air filter is cheap. It's even easy enough for most people to do themselves. Not changing your car's air filter, on the other hand, is expensive. According to the EPA, a dirty air filter can reduce fuel economy by up to 10 percent simply because your engine won't breathe as efficiently. By not changing a dirty air filter, you'll save about $15. But, if your car is supposed to get 25 miles per gallon, and gas is $2.50 a gallon, those savings have evaporated by the time you've driven about 150 miles.

Even worse, if the air filter isn't clean and that means enough air isn't getting to the engine, you could foul your spark plugs and might have to replace them. Depending on your engine, that can cost anywhere from $100 to $300. Now, spending $15 for a new air filter doesn't sound so bad, does it?


4. Transmission Fluid Leak
One of the most common problems associated with your transmission is a fluid leak. You'll likely first notice it when you see drops of red fluid on the pavement where you usually park your car. Ignore it for long enough, and you'll definitely notice it when the leak leads to your transmission shifting roughly, or the gears slipping.

Transmission fluid is what cools and lubricates your transmission. If it's leaking, you need to fix it, and fast. Resealing a transmission is a relatively easy job and should usually only cost a few hundred dollars. Ignoring the leak can lead to the transmission seizing up and a subsequent transmission replacement --which costs several thousand dollars.


5. Burned Out Lights
Here's one car repair on our list that is really easy to ignore. After all, a burned-out tail light won't eventually lead to engine failure or to your transmission falling out. While that's all true, you should still fork over your hard-earned $5 for new tail light bulb if yours is burned out.

Believe it or not, failure to keep your rear lights working can be an expensive proposition. First, if a police officer sees you with broken tail or brake lights, you're going to get a ticket. In some states, the fine for a broken tail light is $150, which makes paying for a new bulb seem like chump change. Second, broken lights increase your risk of being on the receiving end of a rear-end collision. And while the other driver's insurance should cover any damage (assuming they have insurance), you still have to deal with the headache of getting your car fixed.


6. Clogged Fuel Filter
An important part of maintaining your car is keeping impurities out of the engine. While the air filter does part of the job by keeping airborne impurities out, the fuel filter keeps impurities from the fuel out of the engine. Like the air filter, if it gets clogged and you don't fix it, you're looking at some major problems.

On older cars, a fuel filter is relatively easy to replace because it's easy for mechanics or car owners themselves to get to. On newer cars, it's a more complex job. More complexity means more money, which makes this repair tempting to skip -- despite the fact that it can lead to the car stalling or refusing to start altogether.

Don't skip it. At its most expensive, replacing a fuel filter will be a few hundred bucks. Let it go too long, and not only are you looking at dealing with a car that will barely run, you could also have dirt in your fuel injectors -- causing them to need replacing. Replacing just one fuel injector can cost over $500. But if they all need replacing, you're looking at least $1,000 in repair bills.

Article from Yahoo! Autos

Public Service Announcement: Prevent H1N1

We have pasted this poster as well as notices around the campus to inform and educate students and staff on the symptoms of Influenza A (H1N1) and what to do if they have those symptoms.

According to Ministy of Health, 61 new influenza cases – 37 imported and 24 locally transmitted – had been reported (as of 8am yesterday). Besides, out of the 574 people infected, 472 or 82.2% had recovered and been discharged from hospitals.

Please do not panic if you suspect that you are suffering from Influenza symptoms, you should immediately seek treatment from doctor. As pointed out by Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, the recovery rate of Influenza A(H1N1) cases in Malaysia is very high, therefore the situation is very positive.

Therefore, just be extra careful if you have recently come back from another country, or have contact with those who came back from another country.

Congratulations, TOC Graduates!

To all TOC graduates from the class of 2008/2009,

CONGRATULATIONS!

You have now graduated from college and will soon be making your mark in the working world, another big step in your life.

TOC OUTSTANDING ACHIEVERS AWARD WINNERS

To quote Confucius, the famous Chinese philosopher,

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall."

Never give up whenever you face obstacles or difficulties in the process of working in the real world, the important thing is to learn from the mistakes and tough times, through this you'll be able to hone your skills and gain more practical experiences.

First Day @ My Benz Auto Services

After our struggled between studies and classes for more than 2 months this semester, again, we were sent for training outside the college for the second time. For our second venue, we were offered by the owner of the workshop to accomplish our next term.

ATTENDANCE SHEET, TASK LIST FROM COLLEGE TO COMPLETE WHILE ON VENUE AND THE PLACEMENT LETTER.

29th of June was here and it was the first day of our training. My Benz Auto Services is currently located in Pandan Indah. The workshop is surrounded by industrial manufacturers and vehicles workshops. My Benz Auto Services is a technical specialist for the well-known car brand in Malaysia, Mercedes Benz.

REPLACING THE WATER TANK FOR RADIATOR.

After a short briefing by Mr. Fadzly, we were given our first task. We need to diagnose a car with a leaking problem. We were supervised by the experienced mechanics. Lucky for us, we gained a lots of knowledge from servicing to repairing on our first day.

ENGINE HEAD WITHOUT THE COVER AND AFTER THE CAMSHAFT WAS TAKEN OUT.

After the break, we took part in overhauling an engine. It was quite tricky and tough work for a girl, especially the process of removing the head of the engine, but we managed to do it.

REMOVING THE HEAD OF ENGINE

DO IT OURSELVES.
IN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY, IT IS NOT THE MATTER OF STRENGTH ONLY. SKILLS ARE VERY IMPORTANT IN ORDER TO COMPLETE A TASK OF QUALITY WHILE CONSIDERING THE NUMBER OF HOURS REQUIRED.

Written by: Amalina and Afiqah, current TOC students

Inter-campus Dodgeball Competition

The inter-campus dodgeball tournament hits cineleisure @ the curve, and our very own TOC team was there to shake things up a little. It was a first for team TOC, or better known as "Team Velocity" as team leader Vincent informed. The team had taken part in minor dodgeball competitions before, and wanted to form a proper team as soon as they felt they were good enough.

MAD CAMPUS DODGEBALL LEAGUE FLYER

Dodgeball originated as a physical activity during PE lessons in school, but very quickly gained popularity as an actual sport, and it's now played in colleges around the world. In this case, Malaysia Association of Dodgeball (MAD) was responsible for bringing the mayhem. Slightly over 15 campuses took part in the sport, and the crowd it pulled with it was quite impressive.

TEAM VELOCITY MEETING THE OPPONENT TEAM

Team Velocity battled it out with Taylors, and put on a great show. Velocity had a mix in player abillities. Half of them were small and nimble, while the rest had a srong arm or two in shooting the opponents down. Each team was given five rounds to knock thier opponents out silly, Velocity and Taylors were tied at the final round with 4 to 4, and the battle only got hotter when only one player at each team remained till the very finish.

TEAM VELOCITY READY FOR THE GAME TO START

Very humbly, Velocity took the win for TOC in that round, and got a good start for the next tournament. It was also quite unexpected since they considered themselves a little unprepared in terms of practicing, so the team was extra estatic over the victory.

The crowd cheered, and the other campuses wowed. TOC will dominate the challengers once again in the next round.

WHO WILL WIN? TOC!!!

Written by: Ng Wheng Chung, current TOC student

Belated Father's Day Post

People always make a big hoo-ha when it comes to Mother's Day.

There would be advertisements about appreciating all the mothers' efforts, articles about what to buy for moms, and so on and so forth.

But when it comes to Father's Day, there are less noise about this special occasion.
We tend to forget the greatness of a father and also their contribution towards raising the family as well as responsibilities involved.

To help bring more attention to fathers, TOC and Astro Jia Yu channel collaborated and produced a special father's day program that aired on Astro Jia Yu channel and TV2. This program tells different stories about fathers; those without a father, the abandoned fathers, and those who has a loving father.

Here are some pictures taken during the launch of this special father's day program:

The backdrop for the launch

Mr. Walter, TOC's Training Director together with this cute little boy from Ti-Ratana centre

The host for the launch

Middle: Jiang Pei Pei, the host for the special program.

Right: Ivy Too, the director who shoot the program

All the sponsors posed together with the host and the director

Group photo with all the sponsors and production crew

Jiang Pei Pei with the little boy

This special Father's Day program is really touching, and for those who managed to catch it on TV, I'm sure you would agree with me.

We should always appreciate those around us and never take them for granted. Say ' l love you' more frequently to those you love. Don't wait until it is too late.

Alex Yoong's Talk @ TOC

It was an honour for TOC when Alex Yoong came to give a talk about the motorsport industry during OTTO Camp last week.

The talk titled "Career Opportunities in the Motorsport Industry", saw Alex Yoong sharing his experiences of being a race driver, the overall view and development of the motorsport industry in Malaysia and the jobs available in the field.

Visitors to the OTTO Camp got the chance to meet Alex Yoong in person and asked him some of the doubts and questions they have regarding the industry.

Currently, there are two TOC students who are fulfilling their internship stint at Alex Yoong's company, AXLE Motorsport Sdn Bhd, and Alex has been really impressed with their performance thus far. Bravo!

Now, here are some pictures of what happened during OTTO Camp:

The powerful audio system for cars

Visitors looking at the demonstration by our instructor

Our instructor explaining on the engine management diagnosing using tools