October is Fall Car Care Month: Let’s Keep Your Car on the Road

Since October is Fall Car Care Month I want to take a few minutes to help you become a little more car care aware. You can do this by taking a proactive approach to help you be aware about preventive maintenance that helps ensure safety, reliability and fewer unexpected repairs. 

Getting your vehicle ready for the colder months while the weather is still mild. Now is a good time to keep your car in good continuous running order. The following are the basics of keeping a good running vehicle. Here are the inspections we perform every time you come in for service.

• Check all fluids including oil. Transmission, power steering and brakes as well as antifreeze/coolant and windshield solvent
• Check all hoses and belts to make sure they are not brittle, cracked, frayed or showing signs of excessive wear
• Check the braking system, pads and rotors inspected at each oil change. 
• Check the battery and replace if necessary. 
• Inspection of the exhaust system for leaks, damage or if there is an unusual noise. Exhaust leaks can be dangerous and should be corrected immediately.
• Check the heating, air conditioning and ventilation system. Proper heating and cooling is critical for interior comfort and for safety reasons such as defrosting the windshield. 
• Inspection of the steering and suspension system including shock absorbers, struts, ball joints and tie rods.
• Check the tires, tire pressure and wear. Uneven wear is a sign that you need a wheel alignment. 
• Check the wipers and lighting so you can see and be seen. Especially important as the time changes in the fall and it’s dark by 6 pm.

This email as with most of the emails I send are to help you become aware that keeping up with the maintenance on your vehicle is important to keeping a better running car that in turn means keeping your car on the road longer. There is no reason with how well car’s have been made in the last 15 years that your car should be able to go 250,000 plus miles if taken care of properly. My 2011 Scion XB has 337,500 miles on it and runs 

great. 

We want your car to run smoothly for years

Get Your Car Ready for Summer Vacation

The summer vacation season is in full swing and everybody needs their vehicle serviced and repaired before they go. We tend to be very busy during the summer months so make your appointment 1-2 weeks before you need to head out. Needing brakes, A/C repair or just an oil change give us call 

When you bring your car in we always do an overall safety inspection. During this inspection we will perform the following:

1 - All fluids including engine oil, power steering, brakes, transmission, antifreeze/coolant as well as wiper fluid

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2 - All hoses and belts are checked to make sure they are not cracked, brittle, frayed, loose or showing signs of excessive wear.

3 - Battery checked making sure the connections are clean, tight and corrosion free.

4 - Brake system checked including pads and rotors. We will give you a recommendation of when you will need new brakes.

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5 - Exhaust system checked for leaks, damage or broken supports

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6 - Steering and suspension system checked including struts, ball joints tie rods and other related components. 

7 - Tires checked including tire pressure and tread wear. 

8 - Wipers and exterior lighting checked 

9 - Air and cabin filters inspected

Thanks and have an awesome Summer vacation !

Braking News and Brake Flushes

Well I thought it was a little funny to title this newsletter “Braking News” instead of “Breaking News”. (Ok so maybe it’s not that funny”)

Anyway most folks think that having the pads and rotors replaced on your vehicle is all you need to do to keep up with your brake’s maintenance. The reality is your brake system needs to be flushed periodically as part of your regular maintenance

In normal driving conditions brake fluid becomes contaminated over time. As brake fluid becomes overheated the moisture in the brake line vaporizes and braking efficiency is reduced. Over time this causes contamination that can lead to rust and corrosion that will lead to the breakdown of braking components.

If you ever looked at the brake fluid in your vehicle’s reservoir it should be clear with a yellowish hue. When brake fluid becomes older the color will change to a deeper amber color or perhaps a brownish almost black liquid. This is a red flag for your brake system and  a brake flush is needed soon otherwise you may severely damage your braking system.

Having a brake flush will help ensure proper brake system performance and increase the lifespan of your brake components. Flushing and replacing brake fluid is a small cost however replacing rusted brake lines and other components can run well into the hundreds of dollars. Clearly there is a value in having a brake flush when needed.

We recommend that your vehicle has a brake flush every 30,000 miles. Think of it being this simple, brake fluid is as vital to stopping a car as engine oil is to keeping it going. You wouldn't drive your car with dirty old oil would you ? So let's keep this in mind when having your car serviced