Snow Day in Colorado

Over a foot of snow in Colorado! We braved the roads to come into Mastermind Enterprises Auto Care in Denver! If you have to drive today, be safe out there! Next time, we're taking a snow day!

Nissan Xterra Repair in Denver

We're always finding interesting things in our customers cars at Mastermind Enterprises Auto Care in Denver. Today, we found a rodent's nest in a 2007 Nissan Xterra air conditioning unit. The nest had been built on top of the cabin air filter. Imagine all the lovely little bugs and germs that were getting pumped into the car's cabin. Not anymore! Good thing our customer had to come in for an oil change!

Need auto repair for your Nissan in Denver?

Happy Throwback Thursday!

NCO’s drive pays off in a novel auto

I love this newspaper article about Norm Olsen, Sr.'s custom car. It's a great read. Now you know where Norm gets it from! Enjoy! ~ Heidi

NCO’s drive pays off in a novel auto

SUBIC BAY, NB, R.P. –
       “I don’t want something that rolls off the production line that 50,000 other people have,” said Air Force T. Sgt. Norm Olsen.
       Olsen, a food inspector assigned to the naval hospital here, can make that claim about his car. He drives a bright red 1932 Ford convertible, which is propelled by a 1966 Chevrolet Super Sport V8 engine. The whole thing sits on a Chevy chassis.
       The 35-year-old airman bought the Chevy, then took it to a man in Cavite who transformed the body into a replica of an old time Ford.
       “None of the parts came from Ford,” said Olsen. “The only things that may have come from an antique car are the door hinges.
       “Most of the parts came from the States. I ordered parts through J.C. Whitney and J.C. Penney’s - like the mag wheels, the lights, the steering wheel, the gauges, the stainless steel tubing – everything that’s mass produced.”
       The shop in Cavite refashioned the body using ball-peen hammers, cutting shears and welder.
       Olsen took the Chevy to Cavite in March 1975 and brought it back to Subic in October. He rebuilt the engine at his house.
       He paid the body man in Cavite 8,750 pesos, or about $1,268.
       The convertible top and upholstery was done in Manila, but the materials came from the States.
       He paid the Navy Exchange $514 to paint the car bright red. “They did beautiful work.”
       The whole thing cost Olsen $4,500.
       Few people in this are have actually reproduced a car such as Olsen’s, but he was turned on to the idea by someone who did.
       He saw a car similar to the one he drives now soon after arriving in 1973. “I told my wife that anyone that would bring a car like that over here is crackers,” said Olsen. “So one day I saw the guy who owned it and I asked why he brought it over here. He said he didn’t, that he built it. He took me up to Cavite and introduced me to the people, and I got fired up on the idea.”
       The biggest problem, Olsen said, was getting parts from the States. “Even as much advance time I gave myself to get parts from the States, it wasn’t enough. It took me from three to 12 months to get all the parts.”
       “The guys in the garage asked me what I would do if someone offered me a new Cadillac for my car. I told him I would turn the offer down,” said Olsen. “What value can you place on a year of your life?”
       “Even if it didn’t take me a year of labor, a lot of it was mental. I was tied up worrying about the car, writing letters, going over to Pass and I.D. and talking to the customs people to make sure there would be no problem shipping it back to the States.”
       Olsen is determined not to sell the car, and he’s doubly determined not to let anyone take it from him. He’s installed an auto burglar alarm that emits a siren when anyone so much as touches the running board.
       “I copied all the original serial numbers,” he explained. “In fact, I covered one of the serial numbers up with body putty and paint. If anybody rips that car off, they can erase all the serial numbers they want, but I’ll know where that one is.”
       Ironically, Olsen thought one night his whole project was going up in smoke.
       “So I could bring the car home, they did a hurry up job on the wiring,” he related. “We were up on the zig-zag road and it started raining. The windshield wiper wires overheated and melted the insulation. Smoke started boiling out of the car. I was terrified! I had a vision of the car going up in smoke.”
       Fortunately for Olsen, only the windshield wipers were affected. All the other electrical systems worked, and he got home OK.
       And today he drives a car which most certainly did not roll off the assembly line. “That car,” Olsen said, “has my name written all over it.”

By PO 1.C. Paul Long – S&S Philippines Bureau

*This article was originally posted in the Pacific Sunday paper in Manila, Philippines in 1976.*

Why Fixing Your Car Yourself Costs You Money

We all know how auto repair is not cheap. That's why it's very tempting to fix your car yourself. There are YouTube videos and forums all over the Internet claiming to give you "correct" information on how to fix your car all by yourself. Even if you have the correct information, you probably don't have the expensive, special tools that a lot of cars require to fix it correctly.

Fixing your car yourself is a lot like playing a slot machine. If you're lucky you'll get three cherries and save a ton of money. But, usually what happens is you get three lemons and that slot machine reaches out and grabs your wallet for much more than you would've paid a qualified mechanic to fix your car in the first place. It's a lot easier knowing what to do, then what not to do. That's why we won't always be able to help you if you've completed a job and still have problems. We don't know what you've done and what you forgot to do. We also don't know what parts you forgot to include or bolts you forgot to tighten.

Fixing your car yourself is like playing a slot machine.

We had a potential customer call this week with a 2006 Mazda 3 who had changed his own timing chain. He was now getting multiple engine codes coming from his ECM. Because of the complex nature of this engine AND the special tools required AND one time use parts that must be replaced when doing this repair, we told this customer we could not help him. Unfortunately, now this person is in quite a pickle because (as he admitted to us) not even the dealer will work on this vehicle.

2006 Mazda 3

If you do decide to fix your own vehicle, please make sure you are able to successfully complete it. Changing your own battery or a fan belt is one thing, but attempting a major repair without the special tools or more importantly the knowledge to do it can costs you way more than you could be saving.

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Proverbs 19:20

Happy Friday!

Historic Vehicle Recall

Takata has agreed to double the number of vehicles recalled in the United States to almost 34 million due to defective airbags! This makes it the largest recall in NHTSA’s history!

Takata, a Japanese company, is one of the largest suppliers of airbags for car manufacturers. Takata refused to admit for over a decade that its products were defective! They did this in spite of their airbags being linked to 100+ injuries and six deaths. The airbags "blow up like a grenade" when deployed, sending shrapnel pieces into the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

HISTORIC RECALL: Japanese air bag manufacturer Takata Corporation agrees to declare nearly 34 million inflator mechanisms that can “blow up like a grenade” as defective. Find out if your car or truck is part of the largest auto recall in US history.

Posted by Shepard Smith on Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Get your VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) located in the driver door jam, in your dash, on your insurance card, or your vehicle's registration and go to the www.safercar.gov website and find out if your car is being recalled, then CALL YOUR DEALER! 

Vehicles included in this recall currently include:

BMW – 627,615 vehicles affected

• 2000 – 2005 3 Series Sedan
• 2000 – 2006 3 Series Coupe
• 2000 – 2005 3 Series Sports Wagon
• 2000 – 2006 3 Series Convertible
• 2001 – 2006 M3 Coupe
• 2001 – 2006 M3 Convertible

Chrysler/Dodge – 3.3 million vehicles affected

• 2005-2008 Chrysler 300
• 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspin
• 2006-2007 Dodge Charger
• 2003-2008 Dodge Ram 1500
• 2005-2008 Dodge Ram 2500
• 2005-2008 Dodge Dakota
• 2005-2008 Dodge Durango
• 2006-2008 Dodge Ram 3500
• 2006-2008 Dodge Ram 4500
• 2008 Dodge Ram 5500

Ford – 502,489 vehicles affected

• 2004 Ford Ranger
• 2005-2006 Ford GT
• 2005-2007 Ford Mustang

General Motors – 133,211 vehicles affected

• 2002 – 2003 Buick LeSabre
• 2002 – 2003 Buick Rendezvous
• 2002 – 2003 Cadillac DeVille
• 2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer
• 2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Impala
• 2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
• 2002 – 2003 Chevrolet Venture
• 2002 – 2003 GMC Envoy
• 2002 – 2003 GMC Envoy XL
• 2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Aurora
• 2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Bravada
• 2002 – 2003 Oldsmobile Silhouette
• 2002 – 2003 Pontiac Bonneville
• 2002 – 2003 Pontiac Montana
• 2003 – 2005 Pontiac Vibe
• 2005 Saab 9-2x

Honda – 5.4 million vehicles affected

• 2002-2003 Acura CL and TL
• 2003-2006 Acura MDX
• 2005 Acura RL
• 2001-2007 Honda Accord
• 2001-2005 Honda Civic
• 2002-2006 Honda CR-V
• 2002-2004 Honda Odyssey
• 2003-2011 Honda Element
• 2003-2007 Honda Pilot
• 2006 Honda Ridgeline

Mazda – Approximately 330,000 vehicles affected

• 2003-2007 Mazda6
• 2004-2008 RX-8
• 2006-2007 Mazdaspeed6
• 2004-2005 MPV
• 2004 B-Series

Mitsubishi – 11,985 vehicles affected

• 2004-2005 Lancer
• 2006-2007 Raider

Nissan – 717,364 vehicles affected

• 2001-2004 Infinity I30/I35
• 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4
• 2003-2005 Infiniti FX35/FX45
• 2006 Infiniti M35/M45
• 2001-2003 Nissan Maxima
• 2001-2004 Nissan Pathfinder
• 2002-2006 Nissan Sentra

Subaru – 17,516 vehicles affected

• 2003-2005 Baja
• 2003-2005 Legacy
• 2003-2005 Outback
• 2004-2005 Impreza/WRX/WRX STI

Toyota – 877,000 vehicles affected

• 2002 – 2004 Lexus SC
• 2003 – 2004 Toyota Corolla
• 2003 – 2004 Toyota Matrix
• 2002 – 2004 Toyota Sequoia
• 2003 – 2004 Toyota Tundra

Go to www.safercar.gov to find out if your car is being recalled. Blessings to all who are traveling in cars equipped with these airbags. Drive Safely!

God is Good, All the Time

It was a beautiful evening tonight at
Mastermind Enterprises Auto Care in Denver. 

Noah loved it, too!

A photo posted by Mastermind Enterprises (@mastermindautoshop) on Jan 7, 2015

Happy 2015 from Mastermind Auto Care

Thank you for being a part of our shop's story in 2014. 
Thank you for all of the testimonials you wrote for us in 2014.

We wish you a healthy, happy and prosperous 2015!
From Our Family to Yours, with Love

Happy New Year! 

Happy 2015!

Happy 2015 from all of us at Mastermind Enterprises Auto Care! #Blessings for a great year! www.mastermindofdenver.com #happy2015 #newyear #newyears #newyearsday #newyear2015 #newyears2015 #2015 #mastermindauto #autorepairdenver #mechanic #SimpleTip #autorepair #CO #instagood #Denver #engine #familybusiness #GodLovesYou #Love

A photo posted by Mastermind Enterprises (@mastermindautoshop) on Jan 1, 2015 at 7:54pm PST