With the go ahead and generosity of Lake County News I plan on doing a question and answer column on automotive, truck, motorcycle, and small engine and equipment service and repair, and the

vehicle service and repair business industry.

I will be able answer questions and assist you with those minor repairs to those major concerns right here on your very own Lake County News.

I will be starting out with a 10-part series on how to choose the best shop for your particular vehicle needs and repairs. While I will go through this 10-en part series one at time, please feel free to comment not only on its content but on any questions you may have and I will answer as quickly and accurately as possible.

I look forward in your questions and getting to know all of you better.

I am a master mechanic with many years of experience and multiple certifications in the various fields of vehicle service and repair. I know industry standards and practices and business protocol and procedure. I can assist you on making the right repairs for your vehicle the first time around or just give you those hard to find specs.

I can provide any individual that believes they have been scammed and/or cheated by any service and repair facility with a free consultation, expert advice and legal testimony if needed on your behalf with your current complaint. I will review your documents and work orders for evaluation and advise you on a step by step procedure that may aid you to a successful resolution and restitution. I am the consumer’s advocate for fair and legal treatment in the automotive, truck, motorcycle, small engine and equipment service and repair industry.

Every service and repair facility out there cheating, scamming and doing incompetent work gives every honest shop a black eye and stigmatizes the whole industry. With your help we will join forces to stop illegal and unethical business practices in this field and pressure them to conform to all current laws and regulations. Our goals must always be to strive for the highest standards and principles in the mechanical service and repair industry. Contact me at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Please feel free to email me with any questions and I will answer them on the Web site. I will not use information that is incorrect or that can not be substantiated through public and reputable sources.

Forrest Garrett is owner/operator of Ironhorse Creations & Lakeport Garage, family-owned and operated since 1968.

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LisaCLK - Hey Shoptalk:) Registered | 01-16-2008 10:32:32 I listened to your program on KPFZ and loved it. When will you be back on the air? My auto question is that I have nearly 100,000 miles on my car now and a friend told me about needing to replace my timing belt or if it breaks I could ruin the engine. The place I go has been taking care of my car great but they have never mentioned a timing belt replacement. Can you tell me more about this and if I really need it done? Sincerely Lisa.

Shop Talk - Dear LisaCLK Registered | 01-16-2008 12:33:54 Thank you for listening and thank you for saying you enjoyed the program. Andy Weiss and the all volunteer KPFZ staff has been working hard to get the radio station up and running at full power by April. This is a wonderful thing for Lake County. A lot of vehicles these days have timing belts instead of chains or even gear drive. Timing belts are a maintenance routine item with the early vehicles recommended replacement at 60,000 miles and later vehicles with a window of 85,000 - 105,000 miles on the average. Perhaps you do not have a timing belt or you are not at the mileage for the procedure and that's why it has not been brought to your attention. If your lucky enough to have your owners handbook you can go toward the back section and review your maintenance requirements needed. Otherwise ask your mechanic or give me a call and I will look it up with our PC program. Some vehicles with timing belts will be interference engines. what that means because of the close tolerances of newer vehicles and to get maximum power out of the engine the valves in the head can clash with the pistons in the lower block if you have a breakage of the timing belt. If this occurs you can have major engine damage. When doing a timing belt always replace the water pump which most times lies under the timing belt and replace all idler and tensioner pulleys that the belt rides on. They all have bearings and wear out about the same time.

LisaCLK - Timing Belt Registered | 02-05-2008 12:37:45 Thank you for the information. my car does have a timing belt but it is not due for replacing yet. my mechanic does always reccomend replacing the waterpump and the other parts as you have mentioned. When will your column start? i would like to keep up with it. sincerely Lisa.

Shop Talk - Column Times Registered | 02-06-2008 10:50:06 The column will be run every other Sunday. Thank you for watching for it.

LisaCLK - Timing belt replacement time Registered | 02-22-2008 10:02:45 Ok it's time for the replacement of the timing belt. I have been told it will run with everything between $800 - $1,000, is that correct. It seems very high to me? I could not find your other segment? I thought were going to be in the commentary section, is your column somewhere else? Thank you.

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