Events at The Shop

Shop Class: Month 2

May’s Shop Class was a great continuation of the important information you need to know about your car, in particular the sounds your car makes and what they mean.

Attendees at the May Shop Class

Thank you to all who attend our May Shop Class: From left, Lindsie Bergevin, Wendy Shentu, Amy Taylor, Jessica Swain, Misty DiPietro, Pamela Hallenberger with her daughters Leanora and Cordelia, and instructor Chris Bergevin. The other instructor, Travis Jenkins, was the photographer.

We learned about how to listen to your car — to pay attention to how your car normally sounds and how to notice when there is something out of the ordinary.

When discussing sounds with your mechanic, you should describe the pitch, longevity or frequency and the volume. That will help your mechanic narrow down where and what part of the car the sound is coming from, and can greatly help in determining the cause of the problem.

A couple of other tips taught during the May Shop Class:

  • A blaring radio is the most dangerous sound your car can make, as it will cover up other sounds that are important for you to pay attention to.
  • A vehicle has close to 34,000 moving parts and with all of that metal working together, grease and oil are important to keeping the parts moving smoothly and quietly. This is why it is important that you ask if your mechanic can check your car’s grease zerts when you get a tune up or oil change.
  • Dashboard lights are another way your car communicates with you. Read your car’s manual and become familiar with what each of them mean and what you may need to respond to.

A big thanks to all of the ladies that came to the May Shop Class! We hope to see you next month!

 

Shop Class: Month 1

Students at car basics class at The Shop

Travis, Chris, Angie, Misty and John at the first Shop Class

Our first Shop Class was a lot of fun! Chris, John and Travis were very knowledgable about cars and clearly explained the basic systems of a car — fuel, electricity, air — and how each of these are important to a car operating correctly.

the basics of car systems at The Shop's Shop Class

Chris and John’s breakdown of how the fuel, air and electric systems work together.

A few random things that students learned:

  • what gasoline’s octane means and what the difference does for your car
  • how ethanol fuels can affect certain types of cars and how you can combat those effects
  • how to deduce which system is having problems when your car won’t start
  • a closer look at how the inside of an engine works
A closer look at a car at The Shop

Travis, John and Chris explain how air, fuel and electricity flow into an engine with an up-close look at a mid-sized SUV.

The class was a great overview to of the basics, and future classes will targeted to specific systems and problems.

Next month’s class will be all about gauges/lights and noises your cars make. Come find out how to tell what sound means what, so you can be smarter about your car when something goes wrong.

We look forward to seeing you then — on May 18 at 10 a.m. at The Shop. Bring your friends!

Fluorescent Yellow Food Day 2013 at The Shop

Fluorescent Yellow Food Day at The Shop!

Every year on Feb. 20 Pamela, John, Chris and Lindsie and many of our friends celebrate the crazy holiday called Fluorescent Yellow Food Day. The point is to celebrate the yellow food in our lives and have an excuse to party. This year we decided to hold it at The Shop! It was a lot of fun and we had a great turnout.

Read more about the event at FluorescentYellowFoodDay.com.

Here are some photos from the party and the potluck tables. Please forgive my blurry photos — the “mood” lighting wasn’t very conducive to iPhone photography.