Car Care Tips
Routine Maintenance
There are a variety of areas of your vehicle that require routine maintenance. Keeping up with routing maintenance will help you to avoid bigger and more expensive issues in the future. Some areas require routine inspection looking for signs of wear and tear. Some areas require routine lubrication and adjustment. Fluids require regular replacement much like you are used to doing with the engine oil, the transmission, brake, power steering and coolant fluids must be replaced over time. The manufacturers use mileage to determine when a fluid requires replacement. In many cases the fluids will require replacement sooner or later than the mileage indicates depending of the severity of use and specific system requirements. Our technicians can inspects your vehicle and recommend what routine maintenance your vehicle requires, regardless of the mileage.
Tune the Engine
Engines and transmissions in today’s vehicles are monitored by numerous computers that optimize fuel economy and performance. When a problem exists with engine performance it can affect the performance of the transmission and other areas of the vehicle. Tune up requirements have changed over time. Currently a tune up consists of spark plugs and fuel system cleaning. It's important to keep your vehicle in proper tune with regular service. A poor performing engine over time, can contribute to shortening the life span of your catalytic converters.
Don’t Ignore Issues
We all know that if we ignore small problems with our vehicle they often turn into big problems. So when your vehicle starts running poorly or a light comes on the dash, it is best to get it checked out as soon as possible. Vehicle computers often store information about issues with your vehicle, so the Technician can review this information when you have your vehicle looked at.
Service the Cooling System
You may not realize it, but your car’s cooling system does more than keep the engine running at the proper temperature. It also works to keep the transmission at proper temperature as well. Keeping your engine and transmission at the proper temperature with extend the life of them both.
Manual Transmissions
A lot of the clutch issues that you may experience are caused by your driving habits. Premature wear can occur for those that in the habit of “riding the clutch”. Making a habit of shifting smoothly and keeping your foot off the pedal between shifts will extend the life of your clutch system.