Dear Tom and Ray:

I'm having carburetor problems. I've been told I have two choices -- No. 1: Have the carburetor rebuilt at my local garage, or No. 2: Buy a "factory rebuilt" carburetor from an auto parts store. The cost seems to be about the same. I'm always a little concerned about the level of qualifications at the local garage. While I'm sure the owner-manager is well qualified, what if he passes the job on to some high-school kid who works there part time after school? On the other hand, the "factory rebuilt" unit at the auto parts store may have been rebuilt in some Third World country by a guy whose previous job classification was "hunter-gatherer." Which way should I go here? -- Tom

Ray: I'd go with a factory rebuilt, Tom.

Tom: Me, too. While I know there are some wonderful, competent mechanics out there who rebuild carburetors all the time, and do it very well, most mechanics do it so infrequently these days that the odds are stacked against them.

Ray: Carburetors are becoming rarities in these days of electronic fuel injection. So fewer and fewer mechanics really know how to fix them.

Tom: And that's the great advantage of our former hunter-gatherer friend. Even though his previous experience may have been thatching roofs, now he does nothing but rebuild carburetors. He does it day in, day out, under some sort of supervision, and supposedly some measure of quality control.

Ray: And even if he screwed up his first 50 rebuilds, and they had to make him do them again, he probably figured it out after a few days. So unless you know a mechanic who is a carburetor expert, I'd say you're better off with a factory rebuild, Tom.

Changing your oil regularly is the cheapest insurance you can buy for your car, but how often should you change it? Find out by ordering Tom and Ray's pamphlet "Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It!" To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1999 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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