Another Cool Tool, CarMD Code Reader

I recently had the opportunity to try the CarMD code reader. It's a great little tool that let's you retrieve a code when your check engine light comes on.

Most people don't know that you can find out these codes by simply purchasing a code reader that plugs into almost any vehicle. For less than $100 CarMD will not only tell you the codes that have been stored in your vehicle, but it also plugs into your computer and allows you to get valuable information about that code from their website.

They do a good job at explaining the possible problems and give you an idea of what it might cost to get it fixed. This arms you with information to take to your service shop and not feel like their giving you some bogus information that only they know.

It's important to note that this tool will not clear your codes or fix your vehicle. You should still have the problem properly diagnosed by a technician. Many times just replacing the component that the code tells you is the problem may not be the answer. There could be something else making the component give a bad reading.

Having this tool however allows you to do more research on the possible problem and gives you confidence to talk intelligently with your service provider on how to repair the vehicle.

Here's a quick video about your check engine light that I did for Galtime.com and I show the CarMD tool.

Check Engine Light Video


You can also go to my site for a discount when you purchase the CarMD code reader.

Ladies, Start Your Engines Website


This is a great little tool that could save you money and also help you learn more about your vehicle.

Lori

Women and Parking Lots

I was recently at the grocery store when I noticed a woman standing near her vehicle with the hood opened. She was alone and attempting to contact someone on the phone. Whenever I see women alone with a broken down vehicle I try to stop and at least offer some assistance.

Women can feel vulnerable when their vehicle breaks down for a couple reasons. 1. They may not know what's wrong and how to fix it. 2. Men who are strangers may stop to help and this may not be safe.

I have actually felt like the women I've helped were relieved that a woman stopped to help them. I don't treat them like they don't know what they're doing and I try to help them understand what went wrong if I can.

The woman in the grocery store lot seemed to have everything under control. She had contacted the lot security who was on the way with a jump. I stayed to help out. The young man had a jump box with a broken clamp and I wondered how he intended to get it to work.

I stood back for a moment and let him do his job. When the vehicle wouldn't start I had to step in :) I was able to get a good contact and get the vehicle started. I also talked to the woman about what her options were for her battery problem. She was very grateful for the help and thanked me for the information.

I couldn't help but wonder what the security guard would have done if he couldn't get the vehicle started...he probably would have told her to get a tow. I think it's important for women to look out for each other. If you see a woman broken down and you can stop, even if you only have moral support to offer, it could still mean a great deal. Staying with her until the vehicle is taken care of and you know she's safe is just as important as offering car advice.

I enjoy helping people in general, but am especially happy to be able to help women with a broken down vehicle feel a little safer.

Lori

Radical Wrencher, GM and the Twin Cities

Just back from a whirlwind tour of Minneapolis/St. Paul teaching classes for GM, I'm hunkering in for a lazy Sunday afternoon. I like the traveling thing...don't get me wrong, but it's good to be home.

I hit the ground running in Minneapolis. I had about an hour once I reached the hotel before Jennie and Kelly from GM showed up in the new 2010 Equinox to take me to a TV interview with KARE channel 11. The host's of the show, Diana and Pat were fun and I think I even taught them something they didn't know in my 2 minutes of fame. :)

From there we headed over to Merit Chevrolet to a full class of women, a quick bite to eat and back to the hotel by 9:30 pm. I was in bed by 10 pm so that I could get up early, picked up at 5:30 am, to get to Rosedale Chevrolet and do the FOX channel 9 morning show with M.A. Rosko. We did four 2-3 minute segments for live TV...I had a blast and M.A. now knows how to change a tire!

Our class that night was full again and we even had a couple bloggers to help showcase what LSYE and GM are trying to do...which is to empower women and let them know that GM is interested in their female customer's safety and making them feel comfortable with coming into their dealerships.

So this trip was great fun and another opportunity to work with GM. Thanks again to Jennie and Kelly...and to Amanda, their PR person, for making everything happen and making it look so smooth!

Cheers,
Lori

Introducing the Cheater Bar

So last time Lori introduced one of her favorite tools, the Jump Box. This time I thought I'd introduce one of mine...

<Drum roll please>

...the Cheater Bar!

"What on earth is that?" I can hear you asking yourself, I can almost see the furrowed brows and cocked heads through the computer as I write this. "It looks just like a pipe. What am I supossed to do with it?"

There are probably many things we could come up with to do with it if we got creative... not all of which am I here to endorse (at least not officially!) However, more than a nifty way to protect yourself against unwanted attention, or a handy tool for releasing your aggressions from a bad day on some poor inanimate (please) object... This simple piece of metal pipe is how little people like me get to act like we're VERY VERY strong!

Because as women our stregnth tends to be in our legs not our arms, and using our legs isn't always an option, the Cheater Bar levels the playing field. Simply slip it over the wrench your using and it instantly and dramatically multiplies your stregnth by increasing your leverage. The longer the pipe, the more everage, the stronger you 'become!'

It's simple, it's inexpesive, and it's totally underappreciated.

I have one in my tool box, one in my car and of course one at my house. The Cheater Bar is particularly handy for us ladies when changing a tire on the side of the road. Most places that put on tires use air tools, which means the bolts are *super* tight and often very difficult to get loose with just the tools that your car came with, especially if you live in a wet or snowy climate where rust makes the lugs even more difficult to get loose. One little piece of pipe could mean the difference between sitting and waiting perhaps hours for help, or getting on back on the road to safety.

There are a few companies selling fancy cheater bars online. For example check out these neat extendable lug wrenches at www.thefind.com/hardware/info-telescoping-lug-wrench Or you can always go to your local hardware store and buy a piece of pipe like I do - sometimes you can get remenant pieces for free or at least very cheap. And don't worry, no one is gonna blame you if you find another use for it as well. In fact if you do - please share!

Happy wrenching...

The Wrench Wench

No, see – we *are* the help….

I have to admit that sometimes I like to have fun with the reactions I get from people when they find out I am a mechanic… Is that a bad thing? ;)

Recently one of my customers called me to see if I could come to his rescue… his car stalled and wouldn’t start up again – it was parked at the parking lot at his work – not far from my shop and would I possibly be able to go check it out and see if I could get it fixed without having to get it towed? No problem. From the sounds of the symptoms I was pretty sure I knew what it was and if I was right it was something I could easily fix in the parking lot. He wasn’t going to be there, but the key was there and I could have at it.

I brought Christina (the other female technician that works for me) because we’d had a rough week and I had a hunch that this was gonna be fun… I thought I’d share ;)

We loaded some basic tools and testing equipment and headed on down… to the local fire house.

The guys were hanging out back when we pulled up… all eyes were on us as we got out of the car and walked over to my customers car and got the key. I went over and let them know who we were and what we were doing messing with one of their co-workers cars. They just nodded and stared with furrowed questioning brows. Christina and I got to work. Within minutes three or four more firemen appeared from within the house and made their way over to us… “Excuse us ladies – is your car stuck? You need some help?” We are both in uniform and have a spread of tools in front of us, so I thought it should be pretty obvious, but I turned and smiled – “No, thanks – we’re good. We ARE the help.” And then we watched them back pedal ;)

We went and got the part we needed, leaving them speechless, and then got on with installing it… as I worked we gathered a small crowd around us… they were really nice guys and while they weren’t at all rude or condescending – they were definitely intrigued and curious. The questions while I worked all seemed very skeptical, arms crossed - asking what I was doing… how I knew that was the problem… how long I’ve been a mechanic… how I learned to be a mechanic… where I worked…. And on and on…

When the time came for Christina to turn the key and test if we had fixed the car or not – a hush fell over the crowd. Because of the nature of the repair… it’s normal for it to take a few tries – so of course it looks like I don’t really know what I’m talking about after all. I see some smirks out of the corner of my eye just in time for the engine to right on cue start up and start purring like a kitten.

Immediately the crossed arms drop and the first voice I hear says slowly... “what did you say the name of your shop was again?” I pulled my cards out and passed them around smiling… they invited us in and gave us some freshly brewed ice tea and we all shook hands and smiled and waved as we drove off… Christina and I giggling like school girls to ourselves all the way back to the shop…

There are definitely times I wish that who I am and what I do was more “normal” and accepted… But then it's little moments like this that make all the struggle worthwhile ;)

Happy wrenching...

Love,
The Wrench Wench

Women and Driving from the Radical Wrencher

The other day I was talking to a woman about my classes and she was telling me how she'd like to take it, but she didn't have a car. I hear this a lot because I live in the city, but to be honest...I don't understand it. Most people at some time in their life will own a vehicle and we all ride in them. Why not learn what we can about them?

I think that women often rely on men to repair and take care of their vehicles. Older women tell me they don't need the class because their husbands "do all that". Maybe it's just one more thing that women don't want to have to take on if they don't have to, but I think it's important to at least know enough about your vehicle to make educated decisions about repairs.

I thought for sure that when I started teaching these classes that I would get young women, just out of college, wanting to learn about how to maintain their vehicles. What I've found is that I have a lot of women 50 or older that no longer have a man in their life and want to know how to do things themselves.

Women are still taught very little about their vehicles and expected to call "dad" if there's a problem. Unfortunately "dad" can't help you if you're 500 miles from home. I think it's especially important for women to understand their vehicles from a safety perspective. You never know what that 'Good Samaritan' is going to do when they stop to help.

Bottom line, it doesn't matter if you own a vehicle or not. You probably will one day and I'm sure you ride in them. As a woman you owe it to yourself to take advantage of any knowledge you can learn to empower yourself. Let's not fool ourselves....understanding your vehicle is no more a man's place than cooking in the kitchen is a woman's!

P.S. My dad does all the cooking :)

Lori

Filming with the Radical Wrencher

So last Sunday I packed up some bottled water and snacks and headed out for a day of video shooting. I have to tell you that I have a whole new respect for actors. I don't know how they do it. What seems like such a fun and glamorous job to me is tedious and exhausting at best.

Teaching a class to a group of women wins hands down as opposed to trying to give that same information to a camera lens. Words get jumbled, eyes wander and don't seem to look at the camera, thoughts of how to get my point across in a minute means I forget important points...it's all a huge learning curve.

The funny thing is that I end up loving the end product and the idea that women who can't take my class get a visual of how to do things, like changing a headlight bulb. I'm sure I'll get better at it and maybe even one day I won't dread "shoot day"!

Everyone on the shoot is very encouraging and tells me how good everything looks, but inside I'm thinking I just want this to be over :)

So where can you see these videos you're probably asking? Well, I'm doing them for a new website that will launch in just a couple weeks called www.galtime.com. It's a great new website that will offer women access to information on health, finance, family, career, cooking, relationships, beauty/fashion, entertainment, DIY and more.

You'll be able to watch my videos, read informative articles from Bogi and ask us all of your car questions. I'm pretty excited for the launch, but you don't have to wait, go visit the site and sign up. There's already a free give-away!

Lori