Revving Up Your Engine: Tips from a Seasoned Mechanic

"I got a question," said Sian Hussein to Scotty, "is there a big difference if I put in Nissan recommended engine oil and filter or if I use oil and filters that I buy at the store?" Scotty responded, "No, it's not that different. What matters is using quality oil and a quality oil filter." He explained that Nissan doesn't manufacture their own oil or filters, but rather, other companies put their name on them.

Scotty emphasized the importance of using high-quality oil and filters, regardless of where they come from. "All the oils are rated, and I have a whole video on that," he said. "It just shows about the new Amazon motor oil now that Amazon sells motor oil." He explained how to read the ratings and choose a good oil for your needs. Similarly, Scotty advised using high-end filters, but pointed out that cheaper alternatives can be found at discount auto parts stores.

For instance, Scotty mentioned that he buys high-end filters on Amazon online for $4.50 each, which is significantly cheaper than buying them from an auto parts store. However, he noted that these cheap filters may not be as effective as the higher-quality ones. On the other hand, using good oil and filters can make a significant difference in the performance and longevity of your engine.

Torque Settings: The Key to Proper Engine Maintenance

Scotty was asked about torque settings for his Mazda 3's 2009 1.6 liter engine. He explained that finding the correct torque specs is crucial when performing engine work, as it can make or break the success of the job. "I use alldata.com," he said, which provides detailed information on torque settings for various engines.

To ensure accuracy, Scotty advises using a good quality torque wrench that has been calibrated correctly. He also emphasized the importance of having a reliable source of information, such as a mechanic's guide or a book on engine maintenance. For instance, when working on head gaskets, it's often necessary to complete a three-stage process involving different torques at each stage.

Alternators: A Common Cause of Failure

Scotty shared his experience with his Nissan Murano, which had burned up two alternators in just a couple of months. He attributed this to the use of low-quality alternators from an auto parts store called Charley HiLo. "I had customers who were buying these junked alternators," he said. "So I bought a good one from my supplier, Nippon Denso, and it fixed the problem."

Scotty emphasized that using high-quality alternators is essential to prevent premature failure. If an alternator fails, it's often due to either a bad battery or a problem in the charging system. As a mechanic, Scotty can perform load tests on the alternator, battery, and charging system to identify any issues.

Starting Your Own Automotive Repair Business

Mike asked Scotty how he handles paying taxes as the owner of his repair business. Scotty explained that finding a good tax accountant is crucial in ensuring compliance with tax laws and taking advantage of available deductions. "I went to a tax accountant, who charged me just $100 for the first year," he said.

Scotty emphasized that having a reliable source of information on tax laws can be lifesaving, as they change frequently. He also advised learning how to set up books and pay quarterly income taxes, which is not complicated once you understand the basics. With the right guidance from a tax accountant, small business owners like Mike can avoid missing out on tax savings opportunities.

Conclusion

As Scotty emphasized throughout his conversation with Sian Hussein and Mike, using quality oil and filters, having access to reliable information on torque settings, and finding high-quality alternators are just a few tips for keeping your engine in top shape. Additionally, starting your own repair business requires careful planning and attention to tax laws, but with the right guidance and support, it can be a lucrative and rewarding venture.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enrev up your engine's,sian Hussein says scotty I got a question,isthere a big difference if I put inNissan recommended engine oil and filter orif I use oil and filters that I buy atthe store, you just want to use qualityoil and quality oil filter, Nissan doesnot make oil and they don't make oilfilters either, other people make them andput Nissan's name on it, that's you knowjust the way that it goes, if you want toget good oil and you live in the United Statesall the oils are rated, and I have awhole video on that, that just showsabout the new Amazon motor oil now thatAmazon sells motor oil, I explain howit's rated watch that video, and you cansee the different ratings and then whenyou buy oil as long astheir rated good, it's a good oil you canuse itand there's lots of good oils out there,and the filters the same thing, I likethe high end filters but if you go to adiscount auto parts store, the high endfilters there might be $12, so I buy themonAmazon online, and I pay $4.50 a pieceyou can go to the auto parts store andget those cheap three dollar oil filtersbut they're kind of cheap filters, I liketo higher quality ones but I get themcheaper by buying them on Amazon, if youbuy ahead hey, indeed say scottyI want to know the torque settingspectrum I Mazda 3 2009 1.6 liter enginethanks, if you need torque specs nobodygives them away for free, you gotta get dataIuse alldata.com,now I pay like 2,500 bucks year it's amechanic subscription, but they havedo-it-yourself ones with the sameinformation but you only get one car, Iget all the cars in the world, but youonly get your one car, but hey it's onlya 20 something dollars year, join thatbecause the specs are all in there andwhen you're doling engine work, it's veryimportant to have the correct torque,because you use a good torque wrenchthat's been calibrated, don't just haveone that's just sit around for 10 years notusing it because the calibration goes off,get one that's calibrated correctly andyou set it by the directions on how toset torque settings, and you really needa book for that because like I say,it's so important on engines if you'redoing head gaskets, a lot of them it's athree-stage process where you do acertain torque, then another torque, andthen finish it off with a third highertorque, so you want to get all theinformation that's correct and then doit correctly, so something that's thatimportant on an engine, subscribe tosomething like alldata diy.com or get abook on it, so you do it right, edwardsays Scotty and I got a Nissan Muranoit's been perfect, but now it's burned uptwo alternators in a couple of months,what could it be, one you gotta buy agood alternator when you buy analternator, a lot of them are junked anda lot of them these days areremanufactured in Mexico and Taiwan andwho knows what kind of quality they have,so first you gotta buy a high qualityalternator, I had a customer once thatwas buying alternators, it was an auto partsstore here in Houston it was calledCharley HiLo, and he went through fourof them and matter of fact itwas in a Nissan, it was a Nissan Maximafinally I said they're selling you junklet me buy a good one from my supplier whohas Nippon Denso ones, I put it on and itfixed the problem, so he was just gettingcrappy alternators, now if you're gettinggood alternators and they keep burningout, either your battery is bad or yougot a problem in the charging system, soany good mechanic like myself can loadtest your alternator, your battery andcheck for any big current draw on yourcharging system in about 15 minutes, soyou might pay a mechanic to check that,first you want to make sure if you'regetting a quality alternator not, seewhat other people's rate for the typethat you have bought to see if it's justa crappy alternator, and I see that all thetime in Nissans,mike says I'mconsidering starting my own automotiverepair business, as a self-employedmechanic like yourself, how do you handlepaying income tax, Social Security,Medicare, if you're gonna run your ownbusiness, you have to have a lot of selfDrive like I doso you just learn how to do all thosethings yourself, the advantage of runningyour own repair business is, if you aregood at fixing thingsthe world will flock to you, I neverspent a cent advertising my businessbecause I just started fixing cars, theneverybody started telling people, heythis guy really knows how to fix cars,then they tell other people and the wordof mouth spread, and hey I made a greatliving doing it, because I know what I'mdoing, now as for the tax stuff, yeah Igot a tax account, I have to have a taxaccount, when I started out that wassomething I was worried about, so Iwent to a tax accountant, the guy wasreally nice because his son ran a garageso he only charged me a hundred bucksthe first year, and he showed me how toset up the books, how to pay quarterlyincome tax for the federal tax that Ihad to pay, it's not that complicatedreally, find a decent tax accountant togive you some advice on that like I did,hey you know I'm not gonna learn allthat rules, and over the years theyreally save me a lot because the taxlaws are always changing, hey I'm a mechanicIdon't want to study the tax laws, myaccountant studies the tax laws, so whena tax laws change they tell me, oh herehere's some more stuff you can write off.or here are other things you can do, goodtaxaccountant is something you need if youstart a business, if you start small theydon't charge you that much either,so if you never want tomiss another one of my new car repairvideos, remember to ring that Bell!\n"