March 11, 2018
Tucson Tom's Auto repair Pages
I am back to working on my own cars again.
My current vehicles
Some prior vehicles
How long do people keep cars
I am driving my 2000 Toyota Tacoma (25 years old with 330,000 miles) and we
drove our 2006 Honda Accord until 2024 (18 years and 240,000 miles).
I am reading that the average length of car ownership was 8 years,
but that it has more recently increased to about 12 years as the price
of new vehicles has risen (the average price is now $45,000 according
to some sources).
Battery chargers
Repair shops in Tucson
For many years I have used Dan's Toy shop in Tucson for my Toyotas.
The shop is two guys (Dan and Brian), so you know who is doing the work.
This is unlike many other shops (even the dealers) that are always hiring
new mechanics. The prices have always been fair and the work good.
However, Dan's only works on Toyotas. We also have a Honda that needs work,
so this has us going elsewhere:
Places to get parts
I have used both, however I tried ordering from Rock Auto in
February of 2026 and they say they won't ship to Arizona because
of some tax issue. Rock Auto used to be my supplier of choice,
but it looks like they have cut their own throats.
Parts Geek has no such problem, so they will get my business from now on.
A tip I have been given also is to check Amazon if you have a part number
and many times you can find an even better price.
I still use Autozone or O'Reillys for some things, such as when a heavy
core needs to be returned.
This and that
FIPG
You can buy a tube of this black stuff at the Toyota dealer to do repairs
by the book. FIPG stands for "form in place gasket".
People say that Permatex 82180 Ultra Black is the same stuff (and at a
comparable price). There are actually other varieties of FIPG for
different applications (such as grey which used to be unobtainable and
used inside engines in specific places).
Batteries
Off road experts say that the most common causes of vehicle breakdowns
are tires and batteries. Tires are simple. Buy good ones, replace them
when you should (bald tires get way more flats). Consider carrying two
spares and maybe even a repair kit and pump.
I recently needed to purchase a new battery. A regular "flooded" battery was
$200 at both Autozone and at Interstate. Interstate offered an AGM battery
for $260 and that is what I bought. As I read about these, it is claimed
that they can last up to 10 years (I typically get about 5 years out of a
regular battery). If that is true, the dollars/year battery expense will
be less with the AGM. We will see. The battery was installed in my
Tacoma in May of 2023.
Have any comments? Questions?
Drop me a line!
Tom's Auto repair pages / tom@mmto.org