March 2016 Newsletter

Welcome to the ETCG March 2016 Newsletter. Here’s how it works.

If you’re reading the email version of this newsletter, it’s not the full version of the newsletter. It’s been trimmed down to just the main topics. Just click on an image, or ‘read more’ link, and it will take you directly to the topic of choice. If you want to read the newsletter in it’s entirety, and you do, click here.

Past newsletters and the ETCG Blog can be found here.

Thanks for reading!

Jet Lagged

Yesterday I returned from my trip to Ivalo Finland where I visited Nokian tires “White Hell” test track. Travel time was somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 hours each way. Finland is also 8 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone in which I live. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’m tired or not, but I do feel weird. I’m still acclimating to being home. It almost feels like the entire trip was a really great dream.

Amazing does not begin to describe the experience I had in Finland. In fact, I plan to write a separate blog on the experience just to do it some justice. I’ll also be producing some ETCG and ETCG1 videos from the footage I took while I was there. So keep an eye on both of those channels and my social networks (linked below) for updates on those.

It’s Not Over Yet

Next week I travel to Atlanta GA to shoot a series of informative videos for Pull-a-Part. If you’re not familiar with Pull-a-Part they are a nationwide pull-it-yourself chain of salvage yards. Because you pull the parts yourself, there is a substantial savings.

It seems Pull-a-Part and I have a similar philosophy when it comes to helping people save money on their auto repairs. I produce how to repair videos to help people better complete their repairs, and they sell used parts at very affordable prices. I think this will be a great partnership and I hope you enjoy the content that gets created from my trip to Atlanta.

Keeping Up With Comments and Social Media

Please keep in mind that all this travel and work makes it difficult to keep up with comments and social media. In fact, I spent the entire day after returning from Finland catching up with email and video comments and I’m still not caught up.

If you have automotive questions, please use the resources at http://EricTheCarGuy.com. It really is the fastest, easiest way to get help with your automotive issues. Start with the FAQ page and if you don’t find an answer there, sign up for free to the form and post your question to the Service and Repair section.

In the mean time, I’ll do my best to keep up with social media to help keep you updated on what’s happening in the world of ETCG.

{loadposition Socialmediablog}

Controversial Videos

I feel like I poked the hornets nest last month with a couple of videos I posted in February. The first was my video “Is It Better To Put New Tires on the Front or Back?”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLGFAZ7EFh4|345|0

With the tire video, it was never my intention to give out bad, or dangerous advice. What I had hoped to do was to test the theory to see what was really better as there are a lot of different opinions on the topic.

What I would like you to take away from the video is that it is always best to put 4 new tires on your vehicle as I said at the end of the video. This way, you are sure to have the traction you need, when you need it.

The Most Important Purchase For Your Vehicle

The second controversial video was “What To Do When Your Timing Belt Breaks”.

My intention with this video was to show that you might consider just replacing your timing belt if it breaks as you’re faced with replacing it no matter what the outcome if you intend on keeping the engine. Even if you intend to replace your broken engine with a salvage unit, it’s still good practice to put a new belt on your replacement engine before installing it.

Some commenters took exception to this and argued that further testing should be done to verify the engine’s condition before moving forward with a new timing belt. I never said that you don’t have to take that approach. What I did say is that sometimes it’s worth a try, and just as in the video, sometimes you get lucky.

My point in mentioning this is that comments are for discussion, not for character assassination. Just because you don’t agree with a video, that does not mean that I’m an evil person out to hurt anyone physically, financially, or otherwise. The videos speak for themselves.

Just as an FYI, there is a discussion about EVERY video I post over on my website linked in the description of each video.

ETCG videos: http://www.ericthecarguy.com/kunena/18-The-EricTheCarGuy-Video-Forum

ETCG1 videos: http://www.ericthecarguy.com/kunena/17-ETCG1-Video-Discussions

Random Tuesdays Are a Thing Now

Last month I launched some new ‘short form’ videos for a series I’m calling ‘Random Tuesdays’. These are short videos that don’t quite fit into the category of the repair videos I post on Fridays. The idea is to put out some ‘bite sized’ content that you can watch in addition to my regular postings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sddl2EbF10M|345|0

I plan to do more of these, but remember, they’re random. They won’t be posted every Tuesday, but keep an eye out just the same. If you want to learn more about Random Tuesdays, check out last months newsletter.

Fixing it Forward

Now that we’re past that whole ‘ball joint’ thing (yet another controversial video), we’ve moved on to more repairs on Jerry Hall’s 2003 Nissan Sentra SE-R.

March will see the completion of the timing chain replacement along with the water pump and a few other repairs. By the looks of things, this series should wrap up in late April or early May.

I’m not taking any new Fixing it Forward projects in at this time as I intend on working on the Fairmont Project when I get back from Atlanta. I also want to work out more of the structure of future Fixing it Forward projects before I take on the next one. Till then, I still have plenty of content to work through until I figure those things out.

If you’d like to donate to future Fixing it Forward projects, click here. 100% of the proceeds to to the project and it’s participants.

More on the future of Fixing it Forward in last months newsletter.

The Fairmont Project

Yep, I’m finally getting started on it. Last month you got a chance to see some of the parts I purchased for the project in this ETCG1 video. I now have the rest of the suspension, disc brakes both front and back, the 5 lug conversion, the differential, the gears, the wheels, the tires, and as you remember, a freshly rebuilt T-5 transmission.

I’m also considering something along the lines of a custom made roll cage. I’m still talking to some friends about that.

There’s still a few more parts to get which I hope to order in the coming month. One of those parts is a surprise and will effect the build in a big way. I’ll be doing a video on that when the time comes.

As stated in previous newsletters, I plan on rebuilding the rear end first, but before that happens, I’ll probably do a video where I tear down the engine. I have all the tools I need to blueprint it to see what kind of shape it’s in.

I also plan to have the block sent out to be magna fluxed  and cleaned along with the crank and cylinder heads. Magna fluxing is a process that can reveal problems with the casting and other issues using magnetic fields. This won’t work on the cylinder heads since they’re aluminum, but they have other ways of checking those. All of this will be covered in videos of course.

Yea, I can’t wait either. If all goes to plan, I’ll be driving the car by the time the ‘Meet Up’ rolls around and I’ll have plenty of videos of the build for you to enjoy for some time to come.

2016 5th Annual ‘Meet Up”

Have you ever thought, wouldn’t it be cool to see Eric’s garage in person? Well on July 16, 2016 you can do just that. Just follow this link for details and sign up. No charge, I just ask that you RSVP with how many people that plan on coming so that I’m sure I have plenty of food and give aways for you. Just follow that link for more information.

Premium Member News

February was a short month but Premium Members got 4 exclusive videos last month. “Fairmont Update 1/2016 (Exclusive Video)”, “Goodbye Honda Element (Almost)”, “What To Do When Your Timing Belt Breaks (Extended Version)”, and “2.5L Nissan Timing Chain Replacement (Full/Extended Version)”.

I’ve been working overtime creating this exclusive content to add value to the Premium Membership at EricTheCarGuy.com. However, there have still been reported issues with video playback due to our video hosting service, Streaming Media Hosting.

Last month I sent out a letter describing the issue and how I hope to handle it going forward. If you’re a Premium Member and having issues with video playback, please send an email to David Sanchez and CC support@EricTheCarGuy.com. I’m hoping to put enough pressure on them to either make the service work, or release me from my contract. We’ve already found a new service but we’re unable to use them until after our contract is up in September. If we make enough noise, it might make a difference.

I would like to personally apologize for these issues. Several months back we were forced to find a new service, and in our haste, we didn’t properly vet Streaming Media Hosting before we committed to them. I assure you that I will do everything in my power to rectify this situation ASAP. Until then, let’s continue to put pressure on them so we can let them know just how we feel about these issues.

Premium Members get up to 4 exclusive videos per month in addition to early releases of all ETCG and ETCG1 videos. They also get $2.00 discounts on VManuals. Memberships are now $4.99 per month and $14.99 per year. To get more info and sign up, click here.

In Closing

Like I said at the beginning of this newsletter, I’m feeling a bit weird today. Mostly I feel OK, but then I get these bouts of being completely exhausted and I feel like I want to lay down and take a nap. When I try and do that, I feel wide awake and ready to go. Weird right?

A great tip I learned for Jet Lag was to drink lots of water which is what I did. I think it would be a lot worse had I not done that.

Still, the reason I’m Jet Lagged was so worth it. I can’t wait to get that blog and the videos done for you. I had an amazing experience with Nokian tires in Ivalo Finland. A real ‘once in a lifetime’ kind of thing.

I know I wouldn’t have had such opportunities without fans like you. Like I say in every one of these newsletters, thank you for making this the coolest job ever. The fans of ETCG have put me where I am today and I’m eternally grateful. In return, I plan to crank out the best content I can in the form of videos, blogs, and whatever else is on the digital menu. You’re coming on this journey with me whether you like it or not. 🙂

In return, perhaps I’ll get the chance to shake your hand personally at this years ‘Meet Up’. I hope I do.

Latest videos below.

Be safe
Have fun
Stay Dirty

ETCG

Video Title: March 2016 Newsletter -EricThecarGuy Video Description: Welcome to the ETCG March 2016 Newsletter. If you’re reading the email version of this newsletter, it’s the full version of the newsletter. Just click on an image, or ‘read more’ link, and it will take you directly to the March newsletter.Thumbnail: http://www.ericthecarguy.com/images/newsletter/March/2016/March-2016-Newsletter-Placeholder-lg.jpg