Stadium Automotive

  We had a 2012 Dodge Ram 2500 come into Stadium Automotive and the customer was complaining that the Dodge Ram had issues with rattling at startup.   After further inspection, we found the Dodge Ram to have codes for what was looking like issues with the fuel pressure sensor.   The Dodge Ram with the Cummins diesel engine is one that the fuel injectors require tremendous amounts of fuel pressure to run, about 25,000 PSI.   If the fuel is not brought to the right pressure it will rattle when cold because the injectors are not getting enough fuel to the cylinders and that can cause the engine to rattle until it warms up.   Once the vehicle is warm it will run fine all day.   We found the fuel pressure sensor to be reading pressure when there was no pressure in the fuel system.   After checking all the electrical connections at the fuel pressure sensor we determined the 2012 Dodge Ram to have a faulty fuel pressure sensor ... read more

Save Money By Thinking Ahead One of my friends, Dan, who owns another auto shop, asked me to remind people that any all-wheel-drive vehicle must have tires replaced as sets of four, rather than in pairs. The rolling diameter needs to be the same on every tire for AWD cars, and if the diameter is different, there is the risk of ruining the transmission and differential unit. He had a customer who replaced only two tires and as a result had to pay for more than $3,000 worth of repairs. Front and rear tires usually wear at different rates, so by rotating them every 5,000 to 10,000 miles, all of your tires will wear out at the same time. This will make replacing all four tires less frequent and save you money. -George Rode

In the next few years, the average fuel economy will increase as required by the federal government. An engine with direct injection gets about 10 percent more power, uses about 10 percent less fuel and emits fewer pollutants. The CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) will double in the next 15 years. Many innovative fuel-saving, power-boosting technologies will be used on the next generation of power trains. One of the most intriguing is direct injection. This type of system injects fuel directly into an engine’s combustion chamber under very high pressure. Injection pressures vary between 22,000 and 30,000 pounds per square inch. As a comparison, the water pressure in an average home’s plumbing system is about 80 PSI. The advantage of this system is much more control of the combustion process. An engine with direct injection gets about 10 percent more power, uses about 10 percent less fuel and emits fewer pollutants. So why don’t all engines include direct injecti ... read more

It is now summer, the time for vacations and lots of car travel. Car travel has been going up in popularity the past few years, with many families choosing to spend their vacations by taking road trips to great spots in the United States. Getting your vehicle ready for a trip during the hot weather can make a vacation much more stress free. The first stop should be your favorite repair shop, like Stadium Automotive, where you can ask for a pre-trip check. This is most important for vehicles with more than 80,000 miles and those that have not had good, consistent preventive maintenance. The most important focus should be the cooling system, one of the largest and most important systems in your vehicle. About 85 percent of all major engine damage happens when an engine overheats. Your repair shop should pay special attention to all the cooling hoses, the water pump, radiator and other parts of the system. Newer vehicles include a lot of plastic in the cooling system that gets brittle w ... read more

Just about every day, we get asked if the “check-engine” light and ABS (anti-lock brake system) lights in a vehicle are really important. We have many customers who come in and are not overly concerned about those lights. The “check engine” light tells so much, it just amazes me. Where else can you have something as complex as a vehicle warn you that something is malfunctioning or about to break down? Recently we had a customer who came in for other repairs and said not to worry about the check-engine light, that he knew he needed an oxygen sensor but didn’t think it was important. I spent the time to point out many concerns that I had about this. First, the check-engine light comes on when something is malfunctioning or about to break down. It could be one of some 200 different problems, which will not be specifically located until a scanner is hooked up to the vehicle. If more than one problem is present, the light doesn’t light brighter or blink to let you know. It just comes on ... read more

Thank you to all of you who joined us for our Grand Opening Celebration June 13-17 in Eugene! FREE hot dogs and pop were served all week long and 30% off all service sales went to various charitable organizations, chosen by our customers. Here are a few photos from that great week. We’re very excited to be adding this third shop to service domestic cars and trucks in the Eugene/Springfield area

For most people, the vehicle they drive is one of the most expensive things they own when the cost of purchase, the cost of maintenance and repair, and depreciation are considered. Of course, depreciation and the initial price can be lowered by choosing to buy a used vehicle. The down side to this is not knowing exactly what you are getting. I have seen great used vehicles and I have seen others that should not even be driven, much less sold. Within the past month, my service teams have inspected two cars that were not good vehicles to buy. One person already had bought an Audi TT without getting it checked, but another driver had us check out a Volkswagen before deciding whether to buy it. What made both of these vehicles "rejects" was their condition. The Audi had been in a major accident on the right side and was improperly repaired. My best guess is that it was done by an amateur in his home garage. The car had a slightly bent frame that was not repaired, a wrong axle put in it ... read more

The automotive world continues to go through big changes. For one, tsunami-ravaged Japan’s carmakers can’t supply the vehicles that are needed by their dealers and it looks like this will remain true for the rest of this year. One automotive analyst says that 15,000 more Toyota Prius hybrids could have been sold in April if supplies were adequate. The good news for America is the three automotive makers are regaining profit and market share. The bad news is that new and used vehicle prices are steadily climbing. I have no doubt that automobiles are going to continue to become more expensive to buy, new and used. Quiet negotiations are going on in Washington between automotive manufacturers and the government about CAFE (corporate average fuel efficiency) standards, which one way or another will result in higher car prices. New federal fuel economy and emissions rules that went into effect Jan. 1 require automakers to hit an average of 35.5 miles per gallon for the 2016 model year. It ... read more