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Jason Shackelford
Auto Technician
Certifications & Organizations
- Accredited Expert Witness through The Expert Institute
Favorite Piece of Advice
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Forum Comments (3)
I would also recommend looking into getting your financing from your bank or credit union for a couple of reasons:
1. Your bank or credit union can help you decide what you can or cannot afford.
2. Car dealers make “points on the back side,” so you are guaranteed a better rate with your own financial institution. In other words, if a lender will finance you at 10% and the dealer tells you 18%, the lender will give that additional 8% back to the dealer.
Q&A Comments (18)
Co-authored Articles (308)
How to
Hotwire a Car
While most newer model cars have done much to hide the wiring and otherwise outfit the steering column with safety measures to prevent hot-wiring, older models up to the mid-90s are typically good candidates for hot-wiri...
How Do You Tell If a Battery Is Dead? A Quick & Easy Guide
Check the charge in your alkaline, car, & phone batteriesDiscovering that a battery you need to power an important device has a low charge or is completely dead is a frustrating, but universal experience. This article wi...
How to Reset a Gas Gauge Needle
You’re driving along and you notice your gas gauge needle moving erratically. It needs a reset, but how do you do it? Resetting the needle is a quick and straightforward process that doesn’t require a mechanic. The e...
Car Not Starting, but Still Has Power? These Are the Most Common Causes
Try these fixes if your car has power but still won’t crankIs your car not starting despite having power? We’ve got you covered. There are lots of reasons why this might happen, like battery trouble, electrical probl...
How to Locate, Remove & Clean a Dirty MAP Sensor
Easy steps to clean your sensor & improve your car’s performance If your car gets lower fuel efficiency, idles roughly, stalls when you accelerate, or has a check engine light that won’t turn off, a dirty manifold ab...
How to Ride a Motorcycle for Beginners
Learn the basics of driving a motorcycle and get on the road in no timeLearning to ride a motorcycle can be fun. The best way to learn how to properly ride is in a safe and controlled manner. Always practice safety first...
How to Diagnose and Fix a Cylinder 3 Misfire (P0303)
Narrow down the symptoms and solutions to fix your engine issues If your OBD-2 scanner has pulled up a cylinder 3 misfire error and you see the P0303 code, it indicates that one of the cylinders in your engine isn’t c...
How to Fix the Car and Lock Light on Your Dashboard
Reasons why this anti-theft symbol is lit & how to repair them Is there a car and lock symbol on your dashboard preventing you from starting your vehicle? This symbol means the automatic security system kicked in, but n...
How to Reset Your Vehicle's MAF Sensor
The ultimate guide on recalibrating the mass air flow in your engine A combustion engine relies on a delicate mixture of spark, gas, and air to run properly. But how does your engine know if it’s getting enough air or ...
A Complete Guide for Properly Using Your Car’s Fog Lights
Increase your visibility while driving with these added lights If you’re traveling and it’s difficult to see in front of you, using your fog lights can help illuminate the road ahead and make you visible to other dr...
How to Diagnose and Fix Problems with Your Electric Parking Brakes
Your guide to electric brake problems in Hondas and more If you’re getting warning signs on your dashboard or computer screen about issues with your electric parking brake, you may wonder what your car is even referrin...
Service StabiliTrack Meanings & How to Reset It
What you need to know if your Chevy's "Service StabiliTrak" light is on Has the Service StabiliTrak light on your GM car’s dash recently lit up? If so, you may be wondering what it means and what you should do about i...
How to
Remove a Cigarette Lighter Socket
Cigarette lighter sockets are very useful for operating lighters and many other electrical gadgets, but they wear out over time. Fortunately, removing the socket is a relatively easy process that doesn’t require mechan...
How to Find the Source of Gas Fumes in Your Car
Find and fix the cause of foul gas odor in your vehicle If you smell gas in or near your vehicle, there is definitely a leak somewhere—even if you don’t see any puddles forming under your car. The fuel system for you...
Everything You Need to Know About How to Pump Gas
Auto technician Jason Shackelford shares tips for staying safe at the gas pumpWhether you’re new to driving or you’ve only lived somewhere with full-service gas stations, it can feel a little daunting to fill up your...
"Stop Vehicle Leave Engine Running" Mercedes-Benz Warning: Causes & Fixes
Address this error message with the help of this guide If you’re driving your Mercedes-Benz and see the “Stop Vehicle Leave Engine Running” message on your dash, it may be a problem with your battery’s charge. W...
How to
Connect Your Phone to Your Car
This wikiHow will teach you how to connect your phone to your car using a variety of methods from Bluetooth to AUX cables. If your car stereo has a system in place though, you can use features like Ford SYNC, UConnect, o...
How to
Replace a Headlight Adjustment Screw
If you have ever traveled a dark road at night, you know the importance of having good headlights to light your way. However, headlights are no use if they are pointed at the scenery or worse, at other drivers. Headlight...
How to
Shift Gears on a Motorcycle
One of the most important processes of riding a motorcycle is shifting gears. This may seem like a challenge to master, but shifting gears is really a simple process. How you shift gears, however, will depend on whether ...
How to Turn Off an Airbag Light with or without a Scanner
A comprehensive guide on how to reset airbag on or airbag off lights If you’ve got an airbag on or airbag off light that won’t go away, you may be wondering how to reset it. Rest assured, it’s actually pretty rare ...
