Lowell's Toyota Times - Spring '07 Edition

Greetings,

People sometimes ask me how I got interested in working on cars. There is a short history of Lowell’s on our Web site, but the story starts much earlier than our opening in 1979.

I was the type of kid who was always taking things apart. I can remember getting my first new bike in the early 50’s. It wasn’t long before I was taking off the fenders and customizing it. My parents never got me another new bike; after that I had to pay for them, and those bikes were always used.

When I was about 13, we moved to Cleveland Heights, Ohio from Euclid, Ohio. It was about that time when I graduated from two wheels to four.

My best friend Roger Leif and I built what was to be our first “go cart”. At the time, we didn’t realize we were way ahead of our time. It was 100% electric. Not high tech, but electric. For the frame, we used four wheels, an old wooden door (less knob and hinges), two 2 x 4’s, a rope connected to the front axle for steering the car, a car starter motor and a car battery. There was no need for an accelerator or brakes. As I recall, our first go-cart only went about 3-5 miles per hour and only about a hundred yards before needing a recharge and repairs.

We soon realized there was no future for us with an electric car. It took another 40 years and a couple hundred million dollars or so for Toyota to build a hybrid, which is electric and gas.

Our second effort, this time using an old lawn mower engine, was also made from wood, again with rope steering, but still no brakes. But this time, we had an accelerator. Our accelerator was Roger, riding on the back and pulling on the choke to go faster and pushing the choke in to go slower. This go-cart was a tremendous improvement and was what we wanted. It went fast! In fact, it went fast enough to have Roger fall off while negotiating a turn at full (fool) speed. My only method to brake was to drag my feet, which didn’t work well, until I ran into a curb and came to an abrupt stop. At least the go-cart came to an abrupt stop. I kept going a little further, cutting the calf of my leg, and necessitating a trip to the hospital for stitches.

The third effort was super high tech. Not only did it have an accelerator that could be controlled by the driver, but is also had brakes. As we all know, technology has its problems. I soon found that having brakes, accelerator, clutch, and rope steering was a bit much. All the go-cart’s improvements were hand controlled, and the number of controls greatly exceeded the number of hands I had. I learned to steer using one hand, left the accelerator on wide open, used the clutch and didn’t brake often, except for emergencies.

Our third effort was cut short by none other than the Cleveland Heights police. But I’ll leave that, and the rest of the story, until another time.

The "Big Three" Warning Lights

Each time you turn your key to the “on” position, the dashboard warning lights illuminate as a test, to show you that they’re working. After the engine is started, all the lights should all go off within a few seconds.

What happens if the lights don’t go off or, worse yet, come on while you’re driving on a deserted stretch of highway? Some lights are much more important than others. There are three, in fact, that deserve the most attention. Ignoring one of these “big three” could leave you stranded and/or strapped with a whopping repair bill.

The engine oil pressure light is usually represented as an oil can or the word “OIL”. When this light comes on the engine has lost its supply of oil and severe engine damage or failure could occur within seconds.

Of all the warning lights, the oil pressure light indicates the greatest potential for serious mechanical damage, and also allows you the shortest time in which to take appropriate action. If this light comes on and stays on, pull off to the side of the road and shut off the engine immediately. Have Lowell’s tow in your car so that further engine damage is not risked.

The next crucial light is the engine coolant temperature light, usually displayed as a thermometer or the word “TEMP”. When this light comes on the engine temperature has exceeded its safe limits. Severe engine damage or failure could occur if the situation is not reversed.

The coolant temperature light is second only to the oil pressure light in indicating the potential for serious mechanical damage; you also have a little more time to react than with the oil pressure light. Pull over to the side of the road and shut the engine off at the first safe opportunity, even if you don’t see any steam or coolant leaking. Have your car towed in to us and professionally diagnosed. Remember – never open the radiator cap if the engine is hot! Scalding hot antifreeze will shoot out and could severely burn you.

The third warning light to be on the lookout for is the charging system warning light, commonly indicated by a battery symbol or the word “ALT” or “GEN”. When this light illuminates, the alternator is no longer supplying power to the electrical system.

A charging system light rarely results in serious mechanical damage and, of the “big three” lights, also gives you the greatest amount of time to take appropriate action. Depending on the electrical demands of your vehicle and the reserve capacity of your battery, you will generally have about 20 minutes of power left until the system’s voltage drops to zero and the engine dies.

If this light comes on, drive to a safe location as soon as possible and call Lowell’s to have your car towed in for repair.

We hope this information helps you. Remember, if ANY of your dashboard warning lights stay on, give us a call if you’re not sure what to do.

Back to Contents

Are you trying to decide what to get that special someone for a birthday or other special occasion? How about a gift certificate for repair work at Lowell's? We can print one (or more) out for you, good for any amount you'd like. They make an ideal gift for a family member or co-worker who drives a Toyota or Lexus. Just give us a call at (859) 233-1173 or email us if you'd like to purchase one.

Lowell's Toyota Tidbits

Toyota tops GM... Toyota has overtaken General Motors in sales for the first time ever. During the first quarter of 2007, Toyota sold 2.35 million vehicles worldwide, as compared to GM's 2.26 million.

Toyota profits up... Toyota's net profit for the first quarter of 2007 was $3.7 billion. Although smaller than expected, this represents an increase of 8.9% over the same period last year.

Mississippians come to Georgetown... Soon after Toyota announced it would build its 8th North American plant in Mississippi, a group of educators from that state came to tour several Scott County, KY schools. They wanted to see firsthand how Toyota has impacted the community and school system and vice versa.

Now that's ambitious... Toyota recently announced that by 2020, hybrids would become the company's standard drivetrain and would account for 100% of its vehicles.

Back to Contents

With the coming of summer, I would like to offer my favorite dish, Insalata Caprese, Italian for Capri Salad. The salad basically is just a fresh slice of tomato, a fresh piece of basil, and a slice of bufalo (mozzarella) cheese, either stacked or arranged in a circle alternating the ingredients, and a good olive oil drizzled over top. Served with a nice warm loaf of Italian bread and a glass of wine, this dish makes for a nice, light dinner.

If you have a recipe you'd like to share, send it to us at lowells@iglou.com.

Betty

______________________________________________________________________________________________
Lowell's Toyota Times is published by Lowell's Bluegrass Automotive. Opened in 1979, Lowell's is the the only independent repair shop in the Bluegrass specializing in the maintenance and repair of Toyota, Lexus, and Scion vehicles.

To have your name removed from our mailing list, send us an email by clicking here. Just type "remove" in the subject line.