CAR CARE TIPS BLOG

Although an oil change is one of the most simple and inexpensive aspects of vehicle maintenance, it is one of the most important! As you drive your vehicle, the oil becomes dirty and loses its effectiveness, resulting in possible serious damage to your engine.

Although there is controversy about the right interval for oil changes, auto repair experts still recommend an oil change service every 3,000 miles for most cars. However, certain types of high-quality synthetic oils can go for many more miles, possibly as many as 10,000. Ask your mechanic to recommend the right kind of oil for the best protection of your engine to keep it running smoothly.

Even though you may be able to go more miles in between oil changes, it is still wise to schedule an oil change service on a regular basis. This is the time your mechanic can check out other fluids, hoses, and operating systems for potential issues, including:

Summer is at our front door and many people are planning their summer road trips. You will want to give a little extra attention to your vehicle and understand the things to check before driving long distances. Summer's heat, dust, and stop-and-go traffic will take a toll on your vehicle. Also, after surviving a harsh winter, car service is crucial to make sure you have peace of mind that your car is in good operating condition as you roll down the road.

The service tips below will provide you with dependable and safe transportation throughout the hot summer months:

Some drivers may not realize the importance of transmission fluid and may wonder if a transmission fluid change is really necessary.  First of all, the transmission fluid in your vehicle acts as a lubricant for all of the moving parts inside the transmission, cooling as it goes.  Secondly, in automobiles with automatic transmissions, this fluid also transmits power from the engine to the transmission. 

There is a little difference in the transmission service that is required for manual transmissions versus automatic transmissions, as explained below:

• Manuals:  Your auto mechanic (and your owner’s manual) typically recommend a transmission fluid change around every 60,000 miles.  As the miles add up, so does the contamination in the fluid.  This causes the synchronizers, bearings, and gears in the transmission to wear out. The resulting metal particles will continue to float around in the lubricant causing the fluid to lose its effectiveness to lubricate and cool, thus shortening the life of your transmission. 

• Automatic:  A transmission fluid change for automatics can vary, possibly never, depending on the age, make, and model of your vehicle. However, more heat is generated in automatic transmissions, causing the transmission fluid to deteriorate and break down, becoming contaminated with worn bits of the transmission.

When was the last time you had your car serviced? Keeping up with regular vehicle maintenance is an expense, but the potential costs of damage that can happen in an engine, transmission, and suspension due to lack of maintenance is much greater. This alone is reason enough to service your car on a regular basis. You really don’t save money by extending the time intervals between the recommended vehicle maintenance services.

Preventative vehicle maintenance makes sure your car stays in good health! A multi-point inspection is a good way to find out if there are any issues with your car that need to be taken care of.

Here are four important reasons to service your car:

Your vehicle’s battery is like the heart of your car. The typical battery is a “wet-cell” battery, meaning a plastic cube containing sulfuric acid and lead, with two terminals on the top side of the battery. Without it, your vehicle will not start, let alone keep running or considered as reliable transportation.

By knowing what causes a dead car battery, you can take some battery maintenance safeguards to prevent it.

• First of all, be sure to check the fluid level in your battery as well as the battery cables. If the fluid is low and has been for a while, this will prevent your car battery from generating power or holding power. 
• More critical are the battery’s cable connections to the vehicle. If the connections are loose or corroded, they prevent the electrical current in the battery from going to the vehicle’s components, thus causing your car not start.

Do you know what part of your vehicle is the only part that comes in contact with the road? That’s right—tires! Many vehicle owners often don’t think about their tires until they experience problems, which later may become an expensive cost. This is why auto shops promote a tire service schedule as part of their preventative vehicle maintenance checklist. Periodic tire repair, which includes tire rotation, is highly recommended by auto repair professionals and automobile manufacturers.

Here is why Tire Rotation is important:

1. Tread wears evenly – Generally, front tires wear out faster than the rear because they perform differently than rear tires. Rotating your tires periodically helps the tread to wear evenly as a tire goes from a high-wearing position to a low-wearing position.
2. Keeps tire warranties valid -- Most tire manufacturers offer warranties which may include free rotation services at specified periods of time or mileage. 
3. Helps maintain handling –  Rotating tires spread out the wear on the tread more evenly, helping maintain traction on slick road surfaces, crucial for braking.
4. Save money -- Periodic tire rotation helps save drivers money by extending the lifespan of their tires.

In order for your vehicle to keep running smoothly, all of its components need to be in good working order. Taking the time for regular car inspections and keeping up with needed repairs is the best way to ensure that everything is working as it should. This inspection should include the mufflers and exhaust both. Your exhaust system is most effective when it is neither seen nor heard. Unfortunately, this can also mean that it is out of sight and out of mind.

You may be asking, “What are the signs of a bad muffler?” Here are three signs that you may notice if there are problems developing in the exhaust system:

Have you found yourself driving serenely driving down the road when all of a sudden you see the “Check Engine” light illuminate on your dashboard? This little warning light can mean various things, from a loose gas cap to a seriously misfiring engine, indicating that your vehicle is experiencing poor fuel economy and emitting higher than normal levels of toxic pollutants. The important issue is to make sure that long-term damage isn’t taking place in the engine and that you aren't compromising the safety of your vehicle.

Here’s how that little light works--when the electronic-control system finds a problem it cannot adjust, the computer turns on a yellow warning indicator and stores a diagnostic trouble code (DTC) in its memory. With the use of a specialized computer, your mechanic can pinpoint the source of a potential problem by “reading” the codes that are generated. It may be that it’s only a sensor that is malfunctioning, or a more serious problem, such as low oil pressure or overheating.

Gas-electric hybrid vehicles have traveled from the drawing board to the open road in just a few years. These vehicles use electric motors that are powered by battery packs. That leaves a lot of consumers wondering, “How long does a hybrid car battery last?” Will they be looking for a car battery replacement in a few years? Are they short-lived like their other electronics such as their laptop and cell phone batteries?

Because hybrid vehicles have become so popular, more and more auto shops are becoming certified to perform hybrid repairs. Ask your mechanic for more information about hybrid vehicles if you are considering purchasing one.

One of the main components, as well as one of the most important parts of a car, are the brakes. Brake replacement is critical when it comes to car maintenance. So, how many miles do brakes usually last? Well this depends on various factors such as:

• driving habits,
• brake materials,
• environment, and
• brake pad firmness