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How to Keep Your Saturn Happy

by Kevin S. Reardon

159 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #02-0143; ISBN 1-55369-330-2; US$19.00, C$22.95, EUR15.00, £11.00

A new kind of manual for a new kind of car. Not a repair manual, but a book that will help you maintain your Saturn and keep it happy!

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about the book      about the author      sample excerpts      catalogue info

About the Book How To Keep Your Saturn Happy is the first book ever written about Saturns by a factory trained master technician. This book is a cross between the owner's manual and what your brother or friend would tell you if he were a Saturn technician. The information in this book is the result of over ten years experience working on Saturns, and could save you from spending hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars on avoidable and unnecessary major repairs. A thorough explanation of basic maintenance procedures and a used car guide are also included in a non-technical, easy-to-read format. Reviews from experts "A well written guide by an expert on how to keep your Saturn "on the road" for years of dependable service" Bob Stubeck, Sales Associate- Saturn of Sarasota "Easy reading, not too technical, A must read for all Saturn owners... Dave Wiegand, Service Manager- Saturn of Sarasota "You can tell this guy has spent years with these cars, he really knows his stuff- this is a valuable book for any car owner, not just for Saturns." Bob Pfaff, Service Manager- Saturn of Sunrise "This is an inside look at what we as technicians feel is neccesary for an informed customer to know about caring for their Saturn- I believe this book would be a very helpful guide to prolonging the life of any vehicle, at a minimal cost" Rick May, Senior Master Technician- Saturn of Sarasota

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About the Author Kevin Reardon is a technician, author, and musician who has been repairing Saturns for over ten years. A former Marine, he brings to this book over twenty years combined experience as a mechanic, having worked on everything from lawn mowers and chain saws to high line luxury cars and aviation support equipment for the Marine Corps. A native New Yorker, Kevin enjoys motorcycle touring, boating and martial arts. He currently lives in Florida with his wife and two children.

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Sample Excerpts

It's a great day when we bring home our new car for the first time! We sure are proud of our "new ride", and I know most of us begin with the best intentions of caring for our vehicles. In fact, to the extent that we will continue to enjoy our relationship with our cars over the years, really does depend on how well we take care of them!

Without proper repair and maintenance, these faithful servants will quickly begin to deteriorate and perform less and less like they were designed to. How old a car is, is not nearly as significant of a factor as we might believe it to be, even though many people do expect a car to sort of self-destruct around 100,000 miles or so. In order to make them last much longer than that, and perform as best as possible; as owners we need to be involved in ensuring that our prized possessions do not fall prey to negligence and abuse. That's what maintenance is all about.

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I'll admit that there seems to have been many cars over the years that have been built with a bigger eye on profitability, rather than reliability. A Saturn,in my opinion, is not one of them. Therefore, please explain to me what's the sense in spending all that money on a car that we end up treating as a disposable item? It's hard enough to swallow the mouth full of depreciation that devalues our cars as soon as we roll out of the showroom, so why encourage them to be worth even less by not taking care of them?

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Saturn's shops also have all the right OEM (original equipment manufactured) parts, and as you may already know, Saturn has one of the best record-keeping systems in the automotive industry. The records of all repairs done at a Saturn dealership are entered into a vehicle history file that can be accessed at any dealership throughout the country. If you bought the car used, you can go to any dealership and ask for a printout of your vehicle's repair and maintenance history. This helps to verify if the previous owner had taken good care of the car that you now own.

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When you find a car you like, or even when you're trying to narrow down the choices, bring someone with you who knows not just something about cars, but preferably somebody who knows a lot about Saturn's. (This is not an issue if you are going to buy the car from a Saturn dealership, as their used cars have already been inspected and repaired to meet the guidelines set by Saturn Corporation for their certified used cars.)

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Inspection procedure: Check the engine compartment. Is the engine dirty and oily? Look under the car, if possible, and look for oil,transmission fluid or coolant leaks. Again, leaks can be minor or major, and you need to know the origin of the leak to determine if it will be an expensive repair or not. An oil leak from the oil drain plug is inexpensive, whereas an oil leak from the engine front cover or transmission case can be pretty costly! Sometimes, there will be several leaks at one time, and the engine and/or transmission must be cleaned off and leak checked, (this is done at the dealership using a special dye if the source of the leak is hard to find.)

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Catalogue Information

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