February 2015 Newsletter

26 Jan

1/23/2015

Welcome To The New Format!

Welcome to the new format for the ETCG newsletter! With this set up you can pick and choose what you want to read or watch. You also have the ability to go back to old newsletters on the Blog page to to bring you up to speed if you’re a new subscriber. So please enjoy the latest newsletter from ETCG in it’s new format.

Fairmont Frenzy

I posted the video on the plan for the Fairmont today. It seems the fans of ETCG are very excited about the build. I am too, and I can’t wait to dig in. In fact, when I’m done with my current video project, I intend to start tearing into it. Even if I don’t have the parts or the money collected, I’m going to get started by tearing it down and getting it ready for the modifications I plan to add as soon as possible. Likely starting sometime in April. I’ve had my fun with the car in it’s ‘stock’ form, now it’s time to build it into something of my own creation. If not soon, I think the fans of ETCG are going to lynch me.

A LOT of you have made suggestions for the Fairmont, some of them quite good. Some of them I’ve already considered. Some of them are quite frankly ridiculous. I do have a plan, and a budget, as outlined in the video I mentioned, and I plan to stick with it. I’m also open to the plan changing over the course of the build. I think you have to be flexible to get big jobs like this done. In fact, the plan has changed quite a bit since I first got the car last year.

That said, my plan has always been to make the Fairmont into a sleeper, that part won’t change. How I get there, well we’ll just have to wait and find out. No matter what, I hope to stick with an old school, simple build for the Fairmont. Don’t be disappointed that I’m not doing fuel injection, a turbo, a diesel, an LS1 or Honda engine, or anything like that. The way I see it, this won’t be the last build I do, so sit back and enjoy the ride. I’m pretty sure you’ll be happy with it when I’m done. If not, I’ll be happy for you.

Happy Birthday EricTheCarGuy!

On January 27, 2015 EricTheCarGuy turned 6 years old. Yep, I’ve been at this for 6 years now. Long enough to be potty trained, but not old enough to drive yet. In that time a lot has changed. Changed for the better in my opinion.

The production quality is much better, the sound is better, the lighting is better, and I have a cameraman and soon an editor! The shop is better, the website is better and helping more and more people every day. Now I do 3 regular shows a week as opposed to the random postings I started out with. I have an annual ‘Meet Up’! There’s an ETCG store with swag. ETCG now has over half a million subscribers and over 80 million views. I’ve also lost a considerable amount of weight and I feel more comfortable in front of the camera. Progress.

In honor of ETCG’s birthday I teamed up with AllTrade Tools for a massive give away. We gave away 6 tool sets to 6 lucky winners. One for each year ETCG has been in existence. Congratulations to the winners! I’m hoping for many more years as EricTheCarGuy. I know I say it often, but it really is the best job I’ve ever had. Thanks to all of you for helping to make my dream of an auto repair video channel a reality. I couldn’t have done it without you.

Plans for February Casting Call 2

January 2015 has been a big month for me video production wise. Yes, I’m still putting out my normal amount of videos, but I’ve been producing a LOT more of them behind the scenes. Mainly the cabin air filter replacement series. If you’re not familiar with this series, I’d ask that you check this link. I’m looking for people in my area that can provide vehicles for these videos. You’ll get a free cabin air filter and have your vehicle featured in an ETCG video. A complete vehicle list, as well as contact info, is at the link I gave you. The sooner I complete these videos, the sooner I can start on the Fairmont project. At this time I’m projecting completion by the end of March. The videos will begin to air on EricTheCarGuy later this month.

Website Upgrades!

My developer Wyatt Talley has been working very hard over the past month on the website. First, the entire site got an update in January. To be honest, this came with a few minor bugs that we’re actively working on. Most of them are sorted now, but if you see anything that needs attention with the website, please contact us at support@ericthecarguy.com.

After that update was completed, Wyatt updated the forum and put a new skin on it. Once again, this update came with a few bugs. Wyatt has most of them sorted out now, but if you see anything that needs attention, you can post them to our forum thread on the topic. Click here.

We’re also working on an updated version of the entire site that we hope to roll out later this year. This new site will be more mobile friendly, and also easier to navigate. Know that we are always working to make your EricTheCarGuy.com experience the best it can be!

New VManuals!

I’ve also been busy with another longtime project, completing old VManuals. It’s been over 3 years since I put out a new VManual, and this month I now have 2 new ones for you. The latest VManuals are the Honda Accord/Acura 2.3CL Complete Clutch Replacement video, and the D Series Timing Belt Replacement 1989-2007 Civic.

As stated these have been a long time coming. In fact, the Civic video has been sitting on my hard drive for almost 4 years. I didn’t even have my EricTheCarGuy hat back then.

Now that these new VManuals are complete, I’ll be able to move onto other projects. I still have at least one, possibly 2 more VManuals for the Honda Odyssey Transmission R&R and Rebuild. That will happen at a later date, perhaps before the year is out. I’m just happy that I’ve been able to complete these latest VManuals as they’ve been a long time coming.

The VManuals are ready for download and streaming at the links above. I’m still working on the ‘trailers’ which should be posted to YouTube later this month.

Thinking of Expanding the Live Google+ Show

If you watched the latest live Google+ hang out, you might have noticed that the picture and sound were a bit better than previous shows. I got a new modem and beefed up my internet connection. At least for me, the results were noticeable. I’m really enjoying these shows as it gives me the opportunity to answer your questions in a conversational manner rather than typing out the answers. I really like this format for answering your questions.

I’m considering taking this format further. As some of you may remember, I was going to be doing a weekly podcast that was going to take the place of these live shows. Instead of the podcast, I’m considering turning the existing show into a 1 hour show and also changing the venue to the shop. This will come at some expense as I’ve looked into getting internet at the shop and it’s quite expensive because it’s a business location. However, this could change the entire dynamic of the show.

To help cover the cost, I’m looking into sponsorship for the show. If I did make this move, I would likely change the air time as well. Likely to 12pm EST Wednesdays rather than 7pm. At this time Wednesday really is the only day of the week I can do the show. I realize changing the air time may not make it possible for some of you to watch the show live, but it would make it easier for me not having to stay at the shop late on Wednesday nights. I’d love your feedback on this topic, especially if you’re a fan of the existing show. Shoot me an email at Eric@EricTheCarGuy.com.

Premium Member News

Premium Members got great new content this month. First, they got the full version of the Montana Exhaust Leak Repair video on the day Part 1 was released. They didn’t have to wait a week for the dramatic conclusion and they could watch the entire video uninterrupted on the day it was released on YouTube.

They also got an exclusive video of me talking about the Fairmont build while walking around the Fairmont I saw at SEMA. In a way, that was a preview to The Fairmont The Plan video I released today. Premium Members get at least 2 exclusive videos per month in addition to early releases of all of my videos and discounts on VManuals. Memberships are $1.99 per month and $9.99 per year. To get more info and sign up, click here.

This Months Videos

Listed below are the latest videos from January 2015. Personally, I think it was a great beginning to 2015. Between the Montana Exhaust Repair and The Fairmont The Plan videos we’ve had plenty to talk about. Not to mention the ETCG1 video Tool Comparison Video. I’m sure we’ll be debating that one for some time to come. Lastly, I really enjoyed the SEMA video that came out. SEMA 2014 was an amazing experience for me and I was glad to be able to share it with you in that video.

Wrapping Up and Thank You

Now it’s time to close this one out. February looks to be another busy month. I’m looking forward to it though. In fact, some of these cabin air filter replacement participants will be back in future videos for new repair videos. I want to extend my thanks to all that have participated up to this point. I also want to thank you for being a fan of ETCG. All of you make what I do an amazing occupation. I appreciate each and every one of you. Thanks for reading this newsletter, watching my videos, commenting, subscribing, liking, following me on my social networks, and just generally being awesome.

Be safe
Have Fun
Stay Dirty

ETCG