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from the Carrsmith Service Department

Hello, my name is Ray Carr. I am an ASE Certified Master Mechanic, and the owner of Carrsmith. My interest in cars goes way back. I rebuilt the engine on my first car in 1969, years before I could even legally drive a car. I did this at a neighborhood shop where I worked after school that serviced Porsche cars, exclusively. After graduating from a state university in the Pacific Northwest, I resumed my interest in import cars. I took a position at repair shop that specialized in servicing only BMW, Mercedes & Porsche cars owned by a European family in South Florida. In late 1981, shortly after the end of my tenure at a local franchised car dealership I started Carrsmith. With the exception of having had a partner the first six months I have been and I continue to be the sole owner of the company. 

Since our start we have written over 49,000 service orders. The company began as, and during our first several years was an import specialty shop working strictly on German cars. Since the late 1980's when we switched over from paper workshop manuals to computer based technical service information we have expanded our service to include all makes and models. Over the years our affiliations with AAA South Motor Club, AC Delco, and several for-pay internet based service information providers has made our transition to all car makes complete. 

Our transition from German cars to all makes and models brought home an important fact- what is important is the individual customer, not the type of car they drive. Over nearly 3 decades we have followed many of our customers through a full range of choices in automobiles. As owner of Carrsmith I have had the opportunity to meet many wonderful and interesting people. Though I still enjoy keeping up with the technology and keeping my certifications current but, it's the people are what it's all about for me. That is what keeps it fresh and fun! I hope to meet you, as well!

When you visit our service department you will be greeted by our service writer who's job is to document your concerns with your vehicle as carefully as possible (this may also include him, or her test driving your car with you) in an effort to perform as thorough a repair as possible. Naturally, a clear understanding of your concern is the first step in effecting the correct solution to your concern. If you have concerns or compliments on our work I would be glad to hear them. Please email me at raycarr@carrsmith.com .

In order to strengthen that communication, I have included some technical information on my website. Links to my Tech Tip topics are on the blue band to the left. I strongly believe in the importance of you understanding your vehicle along with us, to improve our communication. I will be adding more topics over time. If there are topics you would like to see, please email me at raycarr@carrsmith.com . 

Below, I have also included a hyperlink to the AC Delco the animated Automotive Systems Guide. You may want to review this site for a better understanding of how systems on your car work.  It is written with Flash software that you can download for free when you log on to the website. http://www.acdelco.com/html/as_guide_main.htm.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my website. 

Ray

P.S. Call us today at 352-378-7830 if there is anything we can do to help you. Below are a few quick Technical Tips:

• "Did you know... according to the Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association, almost nine-out-of 10 automatic transmission failures are due to overheating and fluid contamination.  Many owner's manuals suggest a change of automatic transmission fluid at least every 100,000 miles, if at all.  A transmission should be serviced at least every 30,000 miles and many professional transmission rebuilders recommend yearly fluid and filter changes, especially if the vehicle is used for towing or hauling."  -Tomorrow's Technician: November 2002, p.28.

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• Here's a tip on clutches- Don't rest your foot on the clutch pedal while driving. This is called "riding the clutch." Doing this will cause your clutch to wear out prematurely leading to costly repairs.

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• Brake fluid is hygroscopic. This means your brake fluid absorbs moisture right out of the air. This is a particularly big problem in humid climates like ours. A yearly brake fluid flush is inexpensive and, is recommended to prevent premature deterioration of the costly brake hydraulic components on your vehicle. The moisture promotes rusting within your brake system and basically rusts your brake system from the inside out, damaging components like brake wheel cylinders, calipers, brake master cylinders and super expensive ABS control modules. Save yourself some money and ask for a Brake Flush the next time you are at the shop!

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