Getting to know some basic maintenance steps, we can keep our cars from becoming high-maintenance. This is part one of a two-part conversation with Ozzy, a friend, a former fellow student, and an automotive technician with many years now in the field. He shares simple preventative steps that keep small issues from turning into major (i.e. $$$) repairs.

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

One of the best things to happen to the environment was the catalytic converter. It reduced the toxicity of car exhaust to a small fraction of what it used to be. Before it, cars released carbon monoxide, unburned fuel, and oxides of nitrogen directly into the air — in amounts that blanketed cities in smog and caused real health problems.

The catalytic converter, when it's working right, converts these harmful gases into gases that won't burn our eyes, lungs or turn the sky green.

Keeping your 'cat' healthy really matters. One simple way to do this is staying on top of oil changes.

This is part three of my conversation with José Ramirez, where we talk about how lack of oil changes can damage this important component.

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This week I continue my conversation with the great master tech and professor Mr. José Ramirez from LATTC! We talk about a few more topics related to the most important thing you can do for your car: keeping up with regular oil changes.

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

We don't just need our cars. Our cars need us. They depend on us to change oil on a regular basis. For people who live in cities, drive in stop and go traffic, repeatedly drive short trips, waiting for 10k miles is too long! Once a year is too long! Check out this week's episode with professor and master technician Jose Ramirez and find out the inside scoop on how critical on-time oil changes really are for your car.

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

What do energy healers, chiropractors and automotive techs have in common? They all know the importance of alignment! Without it, you're fighting resistance. You and your car need to work harder to get through the day. Without proper alignment, too, parts can get damaged. From ankles to knees and from tires to tie rods.

If you hit a curb or run over a pothole, that can affect the alignment of your car, and it's best to bring in your car for an alignment check. Aside from an incident, it's good practice to bring your car in for a check once a year. You can prevent unnecessary, uneven wear on your tires and save some suspension parts from needing replacement sooner than they normally would. You can go just for a check, you might not need any work done. It's like a quality control check.

George from Lucy's Auto Center and I have a talk about the importance of keeping your car in alignment.

Check out their great shop in the heart of LA. Mention you found them through the podcast and they'll offer you a Lucy's Good Carma discount. :)

LUCY'S AUTO CENTER

5601 W Pico Blvd at Curson Los Angeles, CA 90019

(323) 433-6479

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

Smog testing isn't just an every-two-years thing. If your engine light comes on, the car won't pass a smog test. So really your car tests itself every day that you drive your car!

Always pay attention to a check engine light.

Pull over if it's flashing.
If it's a solid light, you have a chance to address an issue before it becomes more serious, more expensive, and more harmful to the environment! It's a light that's there to inform you, not to scare you.

In this episode, I speak with Angie Hernandez of SoCo Smog Test in Costa Mesa, CA.

Consider going to her for your next smog inspection!

3013 Enterprise St Unit B, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 | (714) 714-0905

She also hosts a wonderful monthly workshop for women teaching practical, empowering hands-on car skills. To sign up for the Women With Wrenches workshop, check out the info on her website.

https://www.socosmogtest.com/

California Air Resources Board

https://asktheref.org/ The Referee Program is a great resource for information, and a place to go if you have a concern about a recent smog inspection. By appointment only.

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

Talena Handley from Girlie Garage joins this week and shares a whole bunch of super useful things we should know about overheating.

Talena is the founder of Girlie Garage, an amazing company created to help empower women, teaching them about their vehicles. The company has expanded to include family and community workshops, consulting, pre-purchase inspections, and teaching STEAM-based classes on automotive design to kids 5-13 years old!

She offers so much good information on her various social media platforms. Check out these two videos that everyone can benefit from:

Girlie Garage: How To Find Your Maintenance Schedule For YOUR Vehicle

Girlie Garage: How to Check Your Oil Level

Contact her at info@girliegarage.com

Follow her on all her socials! Links through her website: www.girliegarage.com

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

Cars don't just consume gas, they breathe air. The engine air filter keeps dirt and debris from pulling into the engine. There's no warning light that comes on when that filter gets dirty. Instead, problems slowly develop that can turn into expensive diagnostics and repairs for issues that could have been prevented.

This week I talk with Shawn from the highly rated shop STATION OF THE STARS in the heart of Los Angeles. We talk about the critical role of air filters and mass air flow sensors (which measure the air going into the engine). And we discuss some benefits of keeping a basic scanner in your car.

LA people, reach out to STATION OF THE STARS for your next service needs. Ask Shawn about a Good Carma discount!

9448 W. Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 275-9628
link to station location

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