Blog

July 2015 Newsletter

24 Jun

June 22, 2015

You’ll notice that my newsletters are now trimmed down to the bare essentials. You can either Click Here to see the full newsletter, or just click on the topics that interest you. This means EricTheCarGuy newsletters now come with choices! You’re in charge so start clicking.

2015 ‘Meet Up’

The month of this years ‘Meet Up’ has finally arrived! In just a few days I’ll be meeting those of you that make the trip face to face. The ‘Meet Up’ is always an exciting time for me because of this. It’s one thing to communicate via my forum, social networking, or email, it’s quite another to be able to have a personal interaction. It’s become one of the highlights of my year.

Many of you that spend time watching my videos are are often educated, and sometimes entertained by them. During the ‘Meet Up’ I find myself learning just as much from you as you do from me. I’ve always seen what I do as a 2 way street, and the ‘Meet Up’ is a great way for me to connect with the very people that put me where I am today, and learn something new. The ’Meet Up’ is also an opportunity for me to give back to those people that make EricTheCarGuy possible. Everybody wins.

This year we have some special guests! In the previous newsletter I spoke about Paul Danner aka ScannerDanner attending this year. I’ve also learned that Jeff Whisenand owner and inventor of the PowerProbe is going to be in attendance. My dad is also making the trip. Barbara Waterman the first recipient of the Fixing it Forward project is also on the list. It promises to be one of the best ‘Meet Up’s’ yet.

Don’t forget! I also have a BUNCH of give aways this year. Some have already started coming in. So far I have items from Zep, PowerProbe, Osram Sylvania, AVAK tools, and Grip tools. There’s a LOT more stuff on the way. Keep an eye on my social networks for the latest items. Not to mention the new Ranger Quickjack Lift I’ll be giving away!

If you haven’t signed up for the ‘Meet Up’ 2015 held on July 18 at 12pm EST yet, there’s still time to do so. Just Click Here for information and sign up.

Fixing it Forward News

Barbara Waterman’s 1998 Chrysler Town & Country is done! Earlier this month she came to pick it up and was very happy to be able to drive away. Well, almost drive away. I’ll be honest, I had to keep the van for a few hours the day she came to pick it up. I took it out for a test drive and didn’t like the way the brake pedal felt. Turns out I had introduced some air into the system when I did the brakes the week before. I didn’t take it for a test drive after completing the work like I should have. Instead I took it for a drive the day she came to pick it up, and there wasn’t enough time to correct the problem before she arrived. It was more than a simple brake bleed. I ended up having to replace the rear wheel cylinders to get the job done. The work is now complete and Barbara is back on the road helping others get around with her van.

I ended up making an ETCG1 video about test driving vehicles as a result of the experience. I also shot video of the wheel cylinder replacement and bleeding the brakes. We’ve certainly gotten plenty of videos from that old Chrysler van.

One regret I have with the first Fixing it Forward series, is that I didn’t get the opportunity to get Barbara on camera before I began work on her van. Had I been able to do that, I could have shared with you a little about the wonderful work she does. One of her jobs is driving for Goodwill. She helps people that can’t otherwise get around get to the places they need to be. She also takes them out so they can have the opportunity to go to the movies or other entertainment. Barbara is a kind and giving person. It was an honor to help her get back on the road. This is what the Fixing it Forward project is all about.

I may have missed getting Barbara in before I started the work on her van, but we did get some great video the day she arrived to pick up the van. This video will show what a great person she is and why I chose her to be the first recipient of the Fixing it Forward project.

I’m already on the hunt for the next Fixing it Forward project. This time, I’ll be sure to include an introduction to the recipient prior to beginning work. I think this will help put a ‘face to the vehicle’ for the next project.

The Fairmont Project

Tomorrow I plan to finish up the work on the frame connectors. It will be good to get that work done before too much rust settles in. I also want to drive it for a bit more before I pull the engine and transmission. I’ve been reluctant to drive it on the road since I don’t want to expose the bare metal to moisture and the elements. With the frame connectors complete, I’ll put a coat of paint on them and I won’t have to worry about any rust issues after that. This way I’ll be able to drive the Fairmont for a bit before I really dig in.

A viewer from Washington state reached out to me this month and it looks like I’ll be buying the rest of the parts I need for the Fairmont project from him and his father. I haven’t asked to share their names yet so I’m keeping them anonymous today. They have a Fox Body project that they’re going to be walking away from in favor of a new project. They have the tubular K member, the front and rear suspension parts I need, and a manual steering rack. This means that between their parts and the Mustang, I’ll have just about all the parts I need to complete the Fairmont project!

Once I have those parts in hand, I plan to pull the engine and transmission from the Mustang. This will likely happen after the ‘Meet Up’ as I’m sure attendees will want to hear the Mustang run in person. Once I have the engine and transmission harvested, I plan to go through them to make sure everything is up to snuff. Don’t worry, I’ll be taking video every step of the way.

Once the engine and transmission are ready, I’ll start stripping the Fairmont of it’s old parts and get it ready to accept it’s new suspension and power train. As always, I’ll keep you updated on everything.

EricTheCarGuy Teaming Up with Advance Auto Parts

Last month I completed a deal with Advance Auto Parts that will partner us up for the next few months. For starters they’ve sponsored several upcoming Google+ Hang Outs where I answer your automotive questions live. Instead of the usual 30min shows, they’ll run for an entire hour! For a few of these shows, Advance is also going to have one of their experts help me answer your questions on the show. That’s twice the question answering power!

In addition I’ll be working with Advance Auto to create some original repair videos showcasing their parts. Look for those in the next couple of months. Here’s additional information from Advance Auto you might find useful.

Find an Advance Auto Parts store near you : shop.advanceautoparts.com/weba…

Buy Online at Advance and Pick-Up in Store in 30 minutes: shop.advanceautoparts.com/?cm_m…

Check out Advance Monthly Specials: shop.advanceautoparts.com/o/aap-f…

curious.com Videos To Be Released Soon

Last month I announced my new lessons coming out on curious.com. The video lessons are now complete and set to release in July. They just need to go through the final approval process and they should be all set.

I’ve done 10 videos for Curious so far. Here are the lessons that will be available soon; How To Test and Replace a Battery, How To Repair Exhaust, How To Change a Flat Tire, How To Plug A Tire, How To Change A Headlight, How To Change Wiper Blades, How To Change Your Fuel & Air Filters, How To Change Your Oil, How To Replace Front Brake Pads, and finally, How To Replace a Serpentine Belt.

As you can see these videos cover a lot of the ‘basics’ of auto repair. The lessons are designed to get your feet wet and familiarize you with some of the systems on your vehicle.

Here’s a link to my page on Curious.

Upcoming Projects

There’s a TON of stuff I just can’t talk about yet. Let’s just say if you make it to this years ‘Meet Up’, you’ll likely have a pretty good idea of where things might be going.

Premium Member News

Last month Premium Members of EricTheCarGuy.com got 2 exclusive videos. The first was Q-Bond Take 2 where I repair the front grill on my Acura Vigor with Q-Bond. I’ve been using the stuff more and I think I’ve gotten the hang of it. The second was a video I made on Reconditioning Wiper Arms. This video also involved the Vigor. The paint on the wiper arms had worn off and I decided to make a video on the process of restoring them. Premium Members are also set to get the full version of the 1998 Chrysler Town & Country Transmission/Radiator Replacement video. The link for that will be sent with the early release of the final installment of the 1998 Chrysler Town & Country Transmission/Radiator Replacement on July 2nd.

I’ve also shot some additional exclusive material that will be released to Premium Members in the upcoming months. Cameraman Brian and I shot a video of the scrap run I did a couple of weeks back. I also shot a video where I remove the moisture from one of the fog lights in my Honda Element. The fog light installation was something of a ‘custom’ job and as a result I didn’t get one of the units sealed properly. This meant that I had to go back and reseal it after removing the moisture from the unit.

I’m also working with my developer to up the quality of the streaming videos available to Premium Members. A couple of months back we needed to switch the service that provides the streaming content. As a result we’ve spent the past couple of months trying to iron out the bugs. We believe we have those sorted now, but I’ve since turned my attention to the quality of those videos. We’re working with new formats that we hope will improve the video quality of the Premium Member videos.

If you have any issues with your Premium Membership, or watching Premium Member videos, please contact support@ericthecarguy.com and we’ll work to address any problems you might be having.

Premium Members get at least 2 exclusive videos per month in addition to early releases of all ETCG and ETCG1 videos. They also get discounts on VManuals. Memberships are $1.99 per month and $9.99 per year. To get more info and sign up, click here.

The Importance of Proper Vehicle Support and the Loss of My Friend Paul Cox

On June 8, 2015 my friend Paul Cox lost his life while working on his car. The vehicle fell off of the supports while he was under it and the result was fatal. I mention this here to help bring awareness to this issue. I can’t stress enough the importance of safely lifting and supporting your vehicle before you begin work. Please take note of this tragedy the next time you work on your vehicle. It’s my hope that this incident can help prevent a future one. The first thing I say in closing is always ‘Be Safe’, and I mean it.

In Closing

To say I’ve been busy lately would be an understatement. It’s an exciting time for me. There are a lot of opportunities coming my way these days and I sometimes struggle to keep up. I have you, the viewers, to thank for that.

When the dust settles, I hope these new opportunities make my work better than it’s ever been. I’m also hoping that I’m able to help even more of you with your understanding of auto repair. In addition, I’m hoping to help more people with the Fixing it Forward project. If nothing else, I’m hoping that project becomes my legacy with EricTheCarGuy. After all, I started my channel to help people. Fixing it Forward has become a great way to help people directly.

I just realized there’s a lot of ‘hope’ in the previous paragraph. I hope that’s a good thing. 🙂

I had very humble beginnings as EricTheCarGuy, but from where I sit now, things are looking pretty good. I’m very optimistic about the future and I believe I’ll be bringing you more, and better content, for years to come as a result of my success. I’ll never be able to say it enough, but thanks for making what I do awesome.

Thanks for taking the time to read my little newsletter.

Be safe
Have fun
Stay Dirty

ETCG