Advance Auto Parts - DIY Garage Blog
The Blog for Auto DIY'ers from Advance Auto Parts
While it’s not really DIY-related (unless your projects include working on advanced space vessels), we thought this was pretty cool.
In honor of the new Star Trek: Into Darkness flick, check out our blog, as translated in Klingon!
Have a great weekend, and may the force be with you…uh, sorry, wrong film!
Jim Kazliner
Editor • DIY’er
Steve Ulfelder was “always a car guy, racing for 15 years” with a burning desire to write a mystery novel–and, during the past several years, more than one of his dreams has come true.
A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, Steve spent a couple of decades working as a technology journalist. In 2006, he left his journalism career behind to co-found a company, Flatout Motorsports, with two partners (more about that later) and, in 2011, his first mystery novel was published.
Titled Purgatory Chasm, this book was nominated for the prestigious Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America (Edgar Award = the Oscars of the mystery novel world) in the category of Best First Novel and chosen Best First Mystery by readers of Romantic Times.
A Romantic Times book review reads, in part: “Ulfelder’s debut grabs you from its wryly hilarious opening line and keeps going full throttle till the finale. His characters are deep and realistically rendered – sometimes painfully so – and the broken family dynamics are right on the money. Ulfelder writes so well that even non-NASCAR fanatics will get something out of the car talk and racing scenes.”
Steve shares how he wanted his detective character, Conway Sax, to “be gritty, with a working man occupation,” so he created the following backstory: “Conway used to be a NASCAR driver, a very promising one, but life’s problems got in the way, so he quit racing. Now a recovering alcoholic, he works as a mechanic in independent garages. He gets things done, he works with his hands, he does rather than talks.”
Before beginning this book and subsequent ones in the series, Steve created a situation/problem and could picture the final scene in his mind–and then he simply began writing, filling in the story as he went along. “The biggest challenge,” he admits, “is to keep track of all of the threads, because there are lots of moving parts in my novels. It’s hard to remember who did what, who knows what, who talks to whom in what chapter, but I keep writing the first draft until it’s done. Then, in the second draft, I make all consistent. For example, if Jane knows about the gun in chapter 2, she can’t be surprised to learn about the gun in chapter 4.”
In 2012, the sequel to Purgatory Chasm was released, titled The Whole Lie. And now, the third book, Shotgun Lullaby, has just hit the stands. In 2014, we can expect another one.
Steve Ulfelder successfully followed the adage to write about what you know.
“I love cars and so it’s pleasurable to write about them,” he says. Steve has done more than write about them, of course, working as a mechanic, racing cars and co-creating the Flatout Motorsports company, which now has eight fulltime employees. Flatout Motorsports serves talented amateur race car drivers who don’t have the time or the mechanical skills to maintain and/or repair their own race cars.
So, the company maintains and repairs the vehicles for clients; delivers the vehicles to the appropriate race tracks at the right times; serves as pit crew; and then takes care of the vehicles, post-race. “All the drivers need to do,” he explains, “is to show up with a racing helmet and drive.” Flatout Motorsports also rents race cars for $1,000 per day for racers who don’t own one.
At this point, Steve doesn’t do much work on the race cars themselves, focusing on the financing and marketing aspects of the business, plus web site development. He still maintains his own vehicles, though, enjoying the hands-on work.
And, the bottom line, according to Steve, is simple: “I am,” he says, “the luckiest guy in the world.”
We hope you’ve enjoyed the Advance Auto Parts author interview with Steve Ulfelder. Keep an eye out for more author interviews coming soon.
Jim Kazliner
Editor • DIY’er
Advance interviews Danielle McCormick, co-author of Essential Car Care for Women.
Danielle McCormick may be the least likely person to write a wildly successful book about car care. “I was a typical girly girl,” she said, “and I didn’t know much about cars. I took my driving test, passed it, put gas in my car and then took it to the mechanic every once in a while. I didn’t know how to maintain my car and I didn’t understand the noises my car would make. Neither did my friends.”
When Danielle was hit with an expensive car repair bill and was told that she wasn’t maintaining her vehicle properly, she was shocked. “I didn’t even know how I was supposed to maintain my car! So, I went to the bookstore and asked for a book with pictures and easy language about car maintenance, and I couldn’t find anything.”
This was in 2008, when Danielle still lived in her homeland of Ireland. “I started thinking about my friends, who are all smart girls with their own careers and I realized that we all had horror stories about silly things that had happened, like a flat tire on the way to an important meeting, causing someone to be two hours late.”
So, Danielle decided to write the book she couldn’t find at the bookstores, a “girl’s ownership manual” with step by step pictures with easy to understand instructions. She self published the guide, using “fun pink” as the cover’s color. She did some PR outreach, but also needed to maintain her day job. In Irish tradition, because Danielle considered this an auto manual, she didn’t even put her name on the book’s cover.
Huge demand for author interviews!
People went crazy for this “auto manual” as soon as it came out, all 10,000 copies selling out in five days. “Even though I didn’t live with my parents,” Danielle remembers, “journalists were calling them, trying to track me down, once the word got out who wrote the book. I was all over the news and the book was on top 5 charts. I sure didn’t expect this reaction! The reality is that the time was right for a book like this and it came out shortly before Christmas, and everyone seemed to know someone who could use this book.”
And, what about the men? They tended, according to Danielle, to buy the book online. “The cover was really pink,” she says, “so, if they bought it at a store, they needed to sneak it to the counter.”
Her success quickly spread, as publishers began “banging on my door.” Editions were soon available in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand–and, after Danielle accepted a new job with a start-up company in San Francisco, the possibility of an American version of the book loomed.
“This was a fun opportunity,” Danielle says. “Other people had written something like my book, but the books were light on pictures and heavy on text. It might read, ‘find the jack’ while the reader is thinking ‘what is a jack???’”
One problem: the publishing playing field is more competitive in the United States, as compared to Ireland; there are differences in language, punctuation and the like; and Danielle’s Irish accent might be difficult to understand on interviews.
The solution: an American co-author.
Search for a co-author begins
After reviewing possibilities, the choice was Jamie Little of NASCAR and X Games reporting fame. “Girls like Jamie,” Danielle says, “and men want to date her. She is the nicest person, so professional. Her success is no accident.”
Jamie is, according to Danielle, passionate about educating women, about empowering women–and so was the perfect choice to co-author an American version of the book.
Essential Car Care for Women
In the American version of the book, released earlier in 2013, Jamie added chapters and instructional photos to the book, changing the language to make it more United States-friendly. Tips share how to save money, how to avoid wasting money, how to be smart when you talk to a mechanic, and what to do when something goes wrong. “The tone is not patronizing,” Danielle says. “It’s more like–let’s do this together. The book fits in your glove compartment and is meant to be a fun, easy- to-understand reference manual.”
Watch for the author interview of Jamie Little, coming soon on the DIY Garage Auto Blog.
Jim Kazliner
Editor • DIY’er
We interview the author of the popular car manual Auto Upkeep.
Mike Gray and his wife Linda co-authored Auto Upkeep, a text that, according to Mike, is “used by over 500 secondary and post-secondary schools to teach introductory automotive technology and basic car care.”
They didn’t just sit down one day and decide to write an auto manual, though. The journey of Auto Upkeep actually mirrors the journey of Mike’s life. Raised in International Falls, Minnesota, the “icebox of the nation,” he began working at a service station at the age of twelve, starting at the cash register and working his way to the service station, where he began learning how to repair cars.
At St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, he studied industrial technology while working at an auto parts store. After earning his bachelor degree, he student taught a consumer auto class before getting a teaching job in southern Illinois where he needed to start an automotive program focusing on upkeep. “I needed good textbooks,” he says, “but, guess what? I couldn’t find any, so I created my own material for the program.”
Mike then attended graduate school at Illinois State University in 1999 and 2000 where, for his thesis, he wrote a manual that eventually served as the first draft of his automotive textbook. Then, when he moved to Maryland, he was moved to an administrative job and, during that time, he and his wife decided to publish a book on basic car upkeep.
Co-author Linda Gray adds her special touch to the auto manual
Mike didn’t write the book by himself. His wife, Linda, had learned to do many car repairs as a way to save money, experience that helped when the couple turned Mike’s thesis into a practical, usable book. Linda’s degree in engineering helped, as well. So did her experience at the University of Redlands, where she and classmates designed, built and tested a hybrid vehicle in 1995—and so did her artistic ability.
“After that, we started our own publishing company,” Mike remembers. “We only started out with 250 or 500 copies of the book, I can’t remember which. But, I soon started attending automotive teacher conferences and otherwise marketing the book. In 2007, we came out with a second edition of Auto Upkeep and, in 2008, I quit my fulltime job just to focus on our publishing.”
Third edition of Auto Upkeep
By 2013, this auto manual was being used:
Mike, Linda and Aiden Gray
Mike and his wife are now printing books in batches of 5,000 to 10,000. “We also created a workbook, a homeschool curriculum kit, instructor resource CDs and so forth, and then we package items in different ways for different audiences. This book is also a great guide for an individual car owner.”
We hope you’ve enjoyed the Advance Auto Parts author interview with Michael E. Gray. Be sure to keep an eye out for more author interviews coming soon as part of our new series.
Jim Kazliner
Editor • DIY’er
Greetings DIY’ers and four-wheel fanatics.
We’ve got some exciting new features coming your way soon, right here on the DIY Garage Blog.
Keep an eye out for exclusive interviews with key authors in the field of cars, trucks, DIY and more. We’ll be covering a wide range of topics from some of the field’s most respected names.
In the meantime, if there’s an author, book or topic that you’d like to hear more about, please share your thoughts in the Comments section.
Cheers,
Jim Kazliner
Editor • DIY’er
If your partner in crime is into DIY, have we got a sweet deal for you!
We’re sharing the love today with 15% off purchases over $100 + bonus!
Just enter code FE11 at checkout. Valid online only, through February 16, 2013. Exclusions apply, see site for details.
Buy online and pick up at your local Advance Auto Parts store to ensure you’ve got your items in time for date night. Nothing says “I love you,” like a new torque wrench!
Cheers,
Jim Kazliner
Editor • DIY’er
Try as we all might to downplay the relevance of end-of-year lists and the like, it’s time to be honest with ourselves: we love this stuff. And we’re not afraid to fly our checkered flag proudly when it comes to talking about the most eventful things that happened last year in the field of cars and DIY.
Our esteemed bloggers have their own unique views on 2012. As you’ll see, it even gets a little intense when two of them go head to head. But, that’s what The Advance auto blog is all about—sharing passions, thoughts and opinions. Let the fireworks begin!
Jim Kazliner
Editor • DIY’er
Top 5′s for 2012
The DIY Mom:
5. The one-year anniversary of the campaign that lifted the ban of women drivers in Saudi Arabia
Gives perspective on the freedoms we enjoy (and take for granted).
4. The Range Rover Evoque being named the Women’s Car of the Year 2012
Didn’t even know that there was even just such a list. Now I’m wanting to know more about this vehicle that I don’t see much advertising for. Also drives curiosity about the runners up. (Award is based on panel results of worldwide women motoring writers.)
3. The Google Car that drives itself
Looking forward to the day when this becomes a commonplace reality! And who couldn’t use this “chauffeur” for commuting? What a great idea for those doing a night out on the town and no one has to be the designated driver . . .
2. Danica Patrick’s racing year
She has admirers, she has her detractors; in more ways than one, she’s a role model who’s not afraid of breaking ground.
1. The opening of Cars Land at Disney California Adventure Park
A fun new place the entire family can enjoy, no matter the age of the kids.
Rural Tales:
5. Lower Gas Prices
After starting out 2012 around $3.23 and trending up to around $3.90 in April and again in September, I’m liking the trend for the average retail price for gas to be lower—at the close of 2012 it was at $3.22. Check out Gas Buddy for more info on gas prices.
4. Mild Temperatures
I love a good snow, but when I have to work outside, I extra appreciate the mild temperatures. The lack of winter weather some of us had in 2012 led to lots more DIY.
3. 2012 NASCAR Champion
My son’s a big NASCAR fan, and this year his favorite driver, Brad Keselowski, was crowned as NASCAR’s champion after capturing the points lead in The Chase.
2. The Growth of Online Vehicle Repair Videos
For saving time and money, nothing beats the thousands of online videos out there—on everything from changing a busted hydraulic hose on a farm tractor (did it) to a shortcut for getting around the air filter cover for headlight replacement on an Odyssey (did it).
1. Vehicles That Last Longer
The average age of vehicles on the road today is a record 10.8 years old. That means vehicles are built better and running longer. With that, 2012 saw my old F150 and Honda Odyssey reach new high-mileage milestones.
Street Talk:
5. The New 2014 Ford Fiesta
Motor Trend is giving the one-liter, three-cylinder 2014 Ford Fiesta a strong review. I especially like the clean looks, both inside and out.
4. Kia and DC Comics join forces
To help fight hunger in Africa, Kia Motors and DC Comics joined forces, bringing various players from ImportTuner magazine and West Coast Customs together to build eight cars resembling a superhero from DC Comic’s Justice League.
3. Formula Drift Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Fundraiser
Formula D organizers gave drift fans a chance to ride along with their favorite driver at Irwindale Speedway this past December—all for a $150 contribution to the Red Cross Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Not a bad deal.
2. 2012 Wekfest
This import car show was huge in 2012, and looks to be even bigger, better and more exciting when it kicks off 2013 in Hawaii this February, followed by San Francisco.
1. A rookie wins Formula D
Rookie Daigo Saito captured the 2012 Formula D championship in his first year in this drift competition. Read more about Daigo Saito.
The Mechanic Next Door and Gearhead’s Garage:
These two distinguished DIY’ers happened to be visiting the same town during the holidays. Over beers, they went over my latest assignment… the results of which are below, same as they arrived to me on a musty ol’ cassette tape (our resident Gearhead is very old-school), via media mail (he’s cheap, too). —JK
MND=The Mechanic Next Door
GG=Gearhead’s Garage
5. 2013 Ford Fusion
MND: “The new Fusion gets almost 50 mpg in Hybrid form, and with a starting price in the low $20,000 range, it’s an impressive value. The Aston Martin-inspired styling is a nice bonus.”
GG: “Forget the Hybrid, I’ll take the six-speed stick and the 1.6-liter EcoBoost turbo. Scoots along pretty good, still doesn’t suck gas, and man, can this thing take a corner for a front-driver. It’s really something.”
4. 2013 Cadillac ATS
GG: “Rear drive and that big 3.6-liter V6 in something this small? This is the first Caddy I’ve wanted since the XLR!”
MND: “That V6 is nice, but the story here is that Cadillac finally gets the sport-sedan formula right across the board. It’s great that you can get a regular 2.5-liter four in this car as well, or a 2.0-liter turbo. Something for everyone.”
3. 2013 Honda Accord
MND: “A real return to form. I remember when the Accord was a no-brainer choice, but Honda had lost the plot in recent years. Nice to see them back on their game.”
GG: “Yeah, nice ride all around. I especially like that they still build an Accord coupe after all these years. Shoot, the V6 coupe can give a Mustang a run for its money, and it looks a lot better than it used to.”
2. 2013 Toyota Avalon
MND: “Has a sedan this large ever crossed the 40 mpg barrier? I don’t think so, and the new Avalon Hybrid is no slouch off the line with that electric-motor torque, either. Plus, it’s got the looks to compete with attractive midsizers like the Fusion. This could be the future of the big American-style sedan.”
GG: “Will you quit with the Hybrid talk? The regular V6 is one of the best things going. It’ll do 30 mpg or so if you baby it, and then it’ll blow the doors off that punk kid next to you at a stoplight. Handling’s solid, too.”
1. 2013 Porsche Boxster
GG: “You know why this was the best car of 2012? Simple, because it’s the only car ever that left me satisfied with just the entry-level motor. You have got to hear the Boxster’s 2.7-liter flat-6 sing its song, and these are the strongest 265 horses I’ve ever had at my disposal. If you know me, you know I’ve got a thing for American muscle, but I’d go German in a heartbeat if my wife would let me buy one of these. And would you look at that styling! It’s an exotic for a fraction of the price.”
MND: “As a mechanically inclined guy, I have to give credit where credit’s due: the new Boxster is an engineering masterpiece. It’s as rigid as a coupe over bumps, its top powers down in a flash, and whether you get the base motor or the 3.4-liter ‘S’ version, it’s a blast to drive. I love that Porsche hasn’t given up on building pure driver’s cars in this day and age.”
Here’s to a healthy, happy and fruitful DIY New Year!
—The Advance Team
Wishing you and yours the best of everything this Christmas.
In the spirit of giving, we’ve included links to organizations in need of an extra helping hand this season.
All the best, The Advance Team
For the victims of Hurricane Sandy: www.redcross.org
To help find a cure for Type 1 diabetes: www.jdrf.org
The American Cancer Society: www.cancer.org
What do you get the gearhead or DIY’er on your list? We get that question pretty often around this time of year at Advance HQ. And it’s not hard to understand why. The truth is, auto parts, tools and related gear just don’t feel very “giftable.” But when you get down to the nuts and bolts of it, things that may not seem that appealing on the surface are in actuality, some of the most valuable gifts you can get—or give. (Even where non–gearheads are concerned.)
Think about it, if you’re like most of us, you probably spend a fair amount of time in your vehicle. So, why not make it quality time? When you factor in how gratifying it is to know that the car you’re driving is running smoothly and looking sweet, the notion of “gifts” takes on a whole new meaning.
Without getting too philosophical, if a gift can enhance your driving experience every day, you’re ultimately going to feel happier, even if it doesn’t seem as tangible as say, a new pair of socks (although, socks are pretty good things to have, too).
As you ponder this concept, we’ve got a few ideas to help get you started. For the DIY’er in the household, we suggest premium tools and garage equipment, not to mention the latest in electronic gadgets. For those who prefer a feminine touch, we’ve got a wide selection of accessories to choose from, including themed interior sets and warm and cozy seat covers plus a wide selection of car care items to add a little flair to her ride. For teens, it’s all about safety—and style. We recommend coordinating interior sets, stereo systems and roadside safety kits to help keep your peace of mind in check.
If you need further inspiration, be sure to visit our Gift Guide. To ensure you’ve got your gifts on hand in time for the big day, be sure to buy online and pick up at your local Advance Auto Parts store.
Jim Kazliner
Editor • DIY’er
