Check your Factory Warranty

By Walter Ford

Some auto repair shops will perform work on cars that are still under factory warranty, but you should proceed with caution. Why? We recently had a customer come in who had some timing chain work done for around $2,700. She became a customer of ours after she became suspicious of the previous shop she had been going to. One day, I had mentioned that there were some things that were recalls that we may want to do, now that we started taking care of her car. When I mentioned the timing chain, she said just had that done by another shop and she paid $2,700 for it. Come to find out, this was covered under her warranty! The shop owner who ran a specialty repair shop SHOULD have known about it.

Here’s a good rule of thumb when you’re wondering about your warranty coverage. If you have a car that’s less than 7 years of age, it does not hurt to call the manufacturer to see if any proposed repair is covered under your warranty. Most people don’t know that some components of an engine or a car actually carry, by federal mandate, a warranty much longer than what the manufacturer’s normal factory warranty is. Major emissions components carry an 8 year 80,000 mile warranty. So, they may see that they have a problem with a certain component of a car and end up covering it under warranty. If you have any questions or doubts, don’t be afraid to ask!

But don’t just limit this question to your repair shop. Get a second opinion. We make it a priority to know about these things as much as possible. For example, if we have a car that comes in that was built in 2008 that has 70,000 something miles on it and it needs major engine work, I’m going to go back to the manufacturer and say, “Hey, this is a little out of the ordinary, is this something you will cover?” If that does not work, a quick web search will turn up the truth.

We have also had people come to us and say, “I need to replace this timing chain and I heard it was covered under warranty.” From there, we can council them on what to do. I don’t think most people know that there could be things that are covered under a service bulletin that go beyond the standard warranty, especially if it’s a defect in the car’s design. If a component in your car breaks, like the door handle, if it is still under warranty, the manufacturer will have to fix it. If it is out of warranty, they’re not going to fix it. But, if they find that a whole bunch of them are breaking, and they’re all breaking the same way, it may become clear to them that there’s a defect in the design and they will sell an updated component. This actually happened with the Mini Cooper power steering pumps. When you replace a Mini Cooper pump, you get the updated design.    

Siphoning off the Bucket List

By Bob Cox

I just finished writing what I thought was a very compelling and thoughtful article and then I made the stupid decision to share it with my wife Diana, who of course hated it. She said its spring and we need a fun and light hearted article that makes people happy, not something dark and depressing. You should write about joy, the new happy song and the two positive insights you have shared from the bucket movie. After careful consideration, I begrudgingly agreed that I would go ahead and write about joy and all that other stuff, but I was not happy about it!

So, what exactly is the happy song, the bucket movie and the two positive insights Diana is referring to? Pharrell Williams is the writer and singer of the mega-hit song called “Happy”, which he performed at the 2014 N.B.A. All Star Game. Happy was released just over two months ago in the movie “Despicable Me 2” and has already garnered nearly 6 million views on You Tube and topped the charts is 15 countries. Diana absolutely loves the song and she shared it with one of her friend’s today and it brought her tears of, you guessed it…joy!

Speaking of joy, I found myself quoting a line to my son Bobby who was in an unusually dark mood one day, from one of our favorite movies’, “The Bucket List”, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. The movie’s story is about two terminally ill elderly men sharing a hospital room. Against everyone’s advice, they decide to throw caution to the wind and take a trip around the world together with a list of things to do before they “kicked the bucket”. In one scene, Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) shares a powerful insight with his buddy Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson), a supremely confident self made man who built a billion dollar company from scratch, but is desperately lacking a sense of peace and contentment. Chambers makes Cole really ponder and reflect on his life after he makes the most profound statement in the movie. Of course, when someone as regal looking as Morgan Freeman, who also possesses a voice that makes Barry White sound like a soprano speaks, everything he says sounds like a commandment from God. “Thou shall not steal and oh yeah, pass the butter”!

In a nutshell, here’s what Chambers tells Cole: “You know, the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death. When their souls got to the entrance to heaven, the guards asked two questions. Their answers determined whether they were able to enter or not. “Have you found joy in your life? Has your life brought joy to others?”

The more I think about that simple and powerful statement, the more it resonates with me. As I grow older, I have been experiencing joy more and more, in spite of all the compelling reasons I should be more stressed out. After all, my bucket shaped clock is ticking louder than ever and I have been growing and losing hair in all the wrong places while accumulating more pounds than a British bank! I’m learning to laugh at the man in the mirror, which is getting easier to do for all the aforementioned reasons and there’s a refreshing freedom associated with taking myself and life a little less seriously. I’m also experiencing more joy as I have discovered how liberating it is to make choices without fear of diminishing my self worth and confidence. I like to believe that the joy I’m experiencing, even in the simplest of moments, is also enhancing the joy of the people I love. If that is the case, the only thing I can feel is, you guessed it…joy!

Save on your taxes and lend a hand to local youth

By Chris Middleton

With April 15^th just around the corner, most American’s have taxes somewhere in the back of their minds. Most of us want to save as much money on our taxes as possible without undermining the worthwhile programs that help our community thrive. Would not it be great to save money on taxes while also making a positive contribution to the community? Now you can!

Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. is proud to announce an exciting new program called Lend-a-Hand. Lend-a-Hand is a unique program that helps you save $20 off your tax preparation with Jackson Hewitt while matching that contribution and donating it to one of two local youth focused organizations: The Carmichael Little League or NTLP (National Teen Leadership Program). You get to choose your favorite organization!

Preparing taxes without help from a professional can be stressful, but we can help ease your pain by offering trained professionals to help you navigate complex tax issues, including how healthcare will affect your taxes!

Who are we? Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. is an industry-leading provider of full service individual federal and state income tax preparation, with 6,500 franchised and company owned locations throughout the United States, including 2,600 located in Walmart stores nationwide and 400 Sears stores in the United States and Puerto Rico in the 2014 tax season. We have operated in the Sacramento valley since 1987 and as a franchise system are well established as your neighborhood tax preparer.

Here in the greater Sacramento are, we are a franchise system and I am the local owner in Rancho Cordova (Olson Dr.) and Carmichael (Manzanita Ave.). Our quest is to help YOU save money and reduce stress while empowering the young people of our community. As a local business we want to contribute to the marvelous work that these fine organizations do in improving our community.

If you would like to learn more about our Lend-a-Hand program, please call our Rancho Cordova office at 916-853-9808 or our Carmichael office at 916-481-0999 or email us at sactaxhelp@gmail.com. More details and copies of the coupons for this offer are also located on our local website: www.sactaxhelp.com

Please share this offer with your friends, co-workers, and family to save on taxes and support the youth in your community.

Dr. Denisse Open Letter

By Dr. Denisse

Dear Reader,

In the course of my day, I answer a variety of questions concerning dental matters. I answer questions ranging from the recommended age of your child’s first visit to what a dental implant is. It’s a fun part of my day because I get to explain in simple terms the things that I love and am passionate about.

If you have a question or concern relating to dentistry, send them to me at dynamicdentaldds@gmail.com and I will post and answer the most interesting questions in this magazine. It’s a good way to provide information that many of our readers may have and just need answers to. Include your name and city and I will post your question along with my answer. Thanks for your participation!

Dr. Denisse

Dynamic Dental

Q & A with Jesus (Chewy) Chavez

By Bob Cox

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your restaurant and what makes it so special?

A: Our food is fresh, just like homemade. When you come in to Chewy’s, we’re going to treat you with respect and do everything possible to make a nice dining experience. I just want people to know that we’re here and we would appreciate their business.

Q: Your vision is to serve great tasting Mexican and American food. How did you come up with this idea?

A: Since I have been in the food industry for a long time running cafeterias, deep inside I wanted to be open to the public and at the same time I wanted to be different from everybody else. When I came up with the idea of offering both American and Mexican food, I wanted my customers to have more options.

Q: Speaking of options, do you offer your customers healthy dining choices?

A: Yes! We have healthy food options. We also have traditional dining options, so everyone will be satisfied. If you look at our breakfast menu, you can substitute potatoes for healthier options like tomatoes and cottage cheese. We also have gluten free bread. For people who are watching their cholesterol, we serve egg whites.

Q: Do you charge extra for healthy options?

A: No. Every item can be substituted at no extra cost, except our gluten free bread which is 50 cents more.

Q: Do you offer healthy options on the Mexican food menu?

A: Yes, with our burritos, people can substitute flour tortillas with whole wheat tortillas. As for the ingredients, you can choose re-fried beans, pinto beans or black beans. We have Spanish rice, brown rice and house rice, which is my own recipe and people like it very much!

Q: I love your barbecue bacon cheeseburgers! What’s your secret to making such tasty hamburgers?

A: We use real Angus beef, our ingredients are all fresh and our buns are baked locally every day.