Car Engine Oil Changes

Engine oil is important because it lubricates and protects all of the moving parts in your engine.  Changing your car engine oil can be an integral part of car maintenance and helping your car engine to have a long life.  When our team changes your engine oil, we drain out the old motor oil and replace it with fresh, new motor oil.  During an oil change, the oil filter will also be replaced at the same time.

Why Does Your Car Engine Oil Need To Be Changed?

Not having engine oil in your car and not changing your engine oil are two different things.  Not having engine oil at all in your car is a serious issue and can drastically damage your car engine. Without any form of lubricant inside your engine, there is metal-on-metal contact which will lead to your engine seizing on you, and you’ll have to replace the whole motor.   Not changing your engine oil may not immediately damage your car, but it does allow for sludge to build up in your car engine and this can cause major repair bills in the long run. Dirty oil will cause your engine parts to wear at a much faster rate because of friction. While your car is in use, the car engine operates at a high temperature and car engine oil undergoes thermal breakdown. When this occurs, the oil becomes a less effective lubricant. Car engine oil also contains additives that have the ability to neutralize acids. Over time, these car engine oil additives get used up and stop being effective.  Lastly, car engine oil can absorb dust, water, and combustion by-products holding these things in suspension. Eventually, the oil gets saturated with these by-products and cannot absorb any more, necessitating that your car engine oil be replaced. If the oil is not changed, this build up remains in the engine and can cause corrosion.  This especially becomes an issue in cold weather when moisture in the oil can kill your engine.

How Often Should Car Engine Oil Be Changed?

While most people understand that car engine oil is important, not everyone agrees on how often car engine oil should be changed.  This is because how fast your car engine oil ages is dependent on many factors including the condition of your vehicle, the age of your vehicle, how you drive, city versus highway driving, and the climate in which you live in.  For instance, if you drive an older vehicle, you might need to change your car engine oil every 3,000 miles.  But if you drive a newer model of car, you may only have to change your car engine oil every 10,000 miles.  If you tend to accelerate quickly and drive at high speeds, than you may have to change your car engine oil more often than someone who drives slowly.  If you frequently drive on dirt roads or commonly haul heavy loads, you may need to have your car engine oil changed more often.  Most owners’ manual recommendations for filter and oil changes suggest the 3,000 to 10,000 mile estimate.  A good rule of thumb is to have your car engine oil changed somewhere in the middle of this estimate at every 5,000 miles.  If you miss a couple of oil changes, it usually will not have a severe effect on your car engine, but it does take life away from the long-term viability of your car engine.  Thus, keeping a regular oil change schedule is important to overall car health.  

Car Suspension and It's Importance

Have you ever given much thought to your car’s suspension?  Most people probably haven’t and many probably don’t even know the components of a car’s suspension.  A car has a suspension to maximize friction between the road surface and the car’s tires.  Thus the suspension provides better handling, steering stability, and helps to ensure passenger comfort.   Essentially, the suspension carries the car and it’s weight, it keeps the wheels perpendicular to the road for the best grip, it absorbs the accelerating and braking forces of the car, it consumes the torque created from the car’s driveline, and it helps in the cornering of the car.

What Does a Car’s Suspension Do?

A car suspension system is needed to keep the body of the car riding straight while the wheels of the car follow imperfections in the road.  So as a car moves down the road, what things benefit from the car’s suspension?  Most engineers consider the dynamics of a moving car from the perspective of “handling” and “ride”.  “Handling” is the car’s ability to accelerate, brake, and corner.  “Ride” is a how well the suspension is working to make a ride down a bumpy road smoother.  “Handling” and “ride” are made up of three principles that include cornering, road holding, and road isolation.  Obviously, cornering is the ability of the car to travel a curved path.  What about the other two principles?  Road holding is the amount of which the car maintains contact with the road during various driving directional changes.  For instance, when braking occurs the nose of the car angles toward the ground and when acceleration occurs, the rear of the car angles toward the ground.  The parts of the car that connect with the ground during braking and acceleration make up road holding.  Lastly, road isolation is your cars ability to isolate and absorb road shock from the passenger side of the car.

What Happens During an Inspection of Your Car Suspension?

There are many components that can make up a car’s suspension.  These include rubber, torsion bars, coil springs, hydro pneumatic elements, the car’s steering wheel and more.  If your car has the shimmy and the shakes, it might be time to get your car suspension inspected.  The first thing that our technician may do is to drive your car to see where the shaking is coming from.  For instance, if the vibration is felt in the front of the car it suggests one thing, if it is felt in the seat it suggests another suspension problem.  Our technicians will take a look at the many parts of your car’s suspension including the wheel bearings, bushings, tires, tie rod ends, idler arm, and other parts of the steering linkage.  Along with the physical inspection of these elements, our technicians will use our diagnostic tools to look at your suspension system and fix any problems.  Keep your car running smoothly down the road by paying close attention to your car’s suspension and setting up an appointment if you suspect that there is a problem.

Windshield Wipers and Your Car

While windshield wipers might not be the first things you think of when you think of parts of your car, windshield wipers are still a very important component.  As anyone knows who has been caught behind a large truck in rainy weather or driving home in a freak snowstorm without properly working windshield wipers, windshield wipers are important to your driving enjoyment.  So, what causes windshield wiper blades to wear out and what components make up your windshield wipers?

What Causes Windshield Wiper Blades to Wear Out?

The least resilient part of your car’s windshield wipers is the rubber windshield wiper blade.  If you live in a harsh climate such as the desert where it is very hot or the Midwest where temperatures vary a lot, your windshield wiper blades will where out more quickly.  But, what are some other common causes that make windshield wiper blades to wear out prematurely?  One is using your windshield wipers on dry glass.  This might happen when you are trying to get sticks, dirt, or other debris off of your windshield.  In these cases, it is smart to use your windshield wiper fluid when you run your windshield wipers or to stop the car to manually remove the debris from your windshield.  Another common cause of premature windshield wiper blade wear is using your windshield wipers to scrape off ice.  Ice is a hard substance and one that can quickly damage your windshield wiper blades.  The better bet is to take the time to use an ice scraper to scrape the ice from your windshield whenever possible.  Lastly, another top item that quickly causes your windshield wiper blades to wear out is snow removal.  Some cold mornings many drivers either forget to start their car early enough or are just not motivated to go out into the cold morning to start their car at all.  So, how do you get rid of all that snow?  You use your windshield wipers for snow removal instead of your ice scraper and brush.  This is detrimental to your windshield wiper blades causing them to become warped and ineffective. 

What Components Make Up Your Car Windshield Wipers?

Besides the windshield wiper blades, what other components make up your cars windshield wiper system?  The first part of your windshield wiper is the windshield wiper arm.  Many people commonly think of the windshield wiper arm when they view their windshield wipers in general.  The second windshield wiper component is the windshield wiper linkage and can also be referred to as an offset plate.  The windshield wiper linkage connects the windshield wiper motor with the windshield wiper transmission.  The third item making up your windshield wiper system is the windshield wiper transmission that holds the wiper arm in place.  The forth component of your windshield wiper system is the wiper motor and it moves the wiper linkage activating the wiper transmission.  The wiper motor moves the windshield wiper back and forth to help clear your windshield.  The final component of your windshield wipers is the mounting bracket that holds the entire windshield wiper system together and attaches the windshield wiper to your car. 
 

Prolonging Your Car’s Longevity

Buying a car is an investment. It takes a lot of preparation, planning, dealing and haggling to find and purchase a model of car you’ll be happy with. Once you have the car, however, you need to maintain it to keep it running. But it’s not always a case of just keeping the car maintained. The value and the life of your car, exactly how long it’ll last in a workable condition, requires you to pay attention to a few small factors as well. The longevity of your car will affect how long it lasts, allowing you to use it longer before needing to buy a new one, and how much value it has if you decide to sell it again, so these things should be considered while taking care of your vehicle.

Regular Maintenance

It should go without saying that your car should be inspected and taken care of on a regular basis, from getting the wheels aligned to getting the oil changed. All of these things increase the smoothness of your car’s performance, allowing it to function better, but they also decrease wear and tear of the parts which means they can last for longer and stay in a better condition for a greater period of time without needing to be replaced. Replacement parts often depreciate the value of a car and once the original is broken and replaced, you’ll find more and more problems arising out of that area of the car. Bringing your car in for regular check-ups is vital to keeping it running and prolonging its life.

Drive Safely

Anyone can tell you that getting into a car accident will cause your car to either die, become damaged or even just depreciate in value. But car accidents aren’t the only thing to watch out for when driving with longevity in mind. There are many things on the road that can cause minor damage or begin the vehicle on the path of degradation. Potholes are a big one, wearing on your car’s shocks and tires and potentially damaging the chassis overall. They should be avoided whenever possible, similar to dirt roads and other poorly maintained surfaces. Furthermore driving during the winter should be kept to a minimum due to the salts put on the road to prevent ice. These act as oxidizing agents that can and will start rusting through your car. And, all year round, you should keep your engine in mind, braking slowly and not revving your engine beyond its capabilities.

Keep Your Car Safe

When not using your car it’s important to keep in mind exactly where you put it. Whether it’s in storage or merely parked overnight, make sure to keep your vehicle covered as much as possible so that the sun does not fade the paint or cause the metal to heat up. Heated metal expands and contracts which can cause damage later. Keep it out of the rain and away from potential bird droppings. When parking, try to predict other car owners’ attitudes and find a parking spot near someone you believe will not dent your vehicle, accidentally or not.

Why Antifreeze Is Important in Winter Car Care?

When many car owners think of winter car care, antifreeze is the first thing to come to mind.  Out of all winter car care tips, antifreeze may be the most well known method of keeping cars running in the winter.  So, why is antifreeze important in winter car care?

How Does Antifreeze Work?

Antifreeze is most often a mixture of half glycol and half water. Glycol is what helps the fluid from freezing in harsh winter conditions.  In hot summer months, glycol also helps the car’s antifreeze fluid from reaching the boiling point.  In other words, antifreeze keeps engine temperatures constant under all driving conditions and climate extremes.  So why is antifreeze different than water? Water actually transfers heat more efficiently than antifreeze. Antifreeze, however, includes additional additives that prevent rust and corrosion in the car’s radiator, heater, and engine.

What is the Main Ingredient in Antifreeze?

Historically, the main ingredient in antifreeze has been Ethylene glycol.  The problem with Ethylene glycol is that it is a toxic material.  Ethylene glycol has also become famous because of its sweet smell and taste, which makes it appealing to animals and children.  In part because of the issues associated with Ethylene glycol, antifreeze manufacturers started using Propylene glycol as an alternative in antifreeze formulas.  Propylene glycol produces a similar antifreeze performance as Ethylene glycol does, but it is not as toxic.  Both glycol’s, however, tend to pick up heavy metals during the everyday antifreeze use in cars.  Thus, it is important to dispose of used antifreeze according to State rules. 

Making Sure Car Antifreeze is Ready for Winter

Before winter weather strikes, it is important to check the levels of antifreeze in your car engine.  Checking antifreeze is something that should only have to be done a couple of times a year to make sure there are no leaks in the system.  Antifreeze, however, only needs to be changed every two or three years, according to the antifreeze manufacturers recommendations.   If the antifreeze is consistently low and needing to be refilled, it means that there is a leak in the system.  It is important to have this problem checked or check it yourself.  Low or no antifreeze in the system will cause the vehicle to over heat or it could cause damage to your car.  The antifreeze should also be in good condition.  It should look clear and be pale yellowish-green in color.  Long-life antifreeze should appear pale orange in color.  Still some other kinds of antifreeze are beige in color.   No matter the color, the key is that the antifreeze is not dirty looking and that flecks of rust aren't floating around in it.  After the antifreeze is checked and if it is in bad condition, the system may need to be flushed. Fresh antifreeze in the system helps to ensure that the vehicle engine does not suffer damage.  Proper maintenance of the cars antifreeze can result in extended engine life of the car.  

Winter Safety Tips for Your Car

The winter season is coming and you have not started your yearly winterization rituals yet. Now is the time for you to perform your winter safety inspection so you can commute to work, school, or to run errands with a content conscience. Making sure your car is safe for the winter will not only save you money in repair and fuel costs, it can also save you a lot of time and aggravation, and it can extend the life of your car. Having a safe car for the winter can also save your life. 

Check your Tires

Right before the winter is the perfect time to perform a tire inspection. Check your tires to make sure they have the right amount of air in them. Many people are riding around on tires with air pressure that is either too high or too low. You cannot tell if you have the proper amount of air just by testing the firmness of the tire. You should make sure that you have an air pressure gauge, which you can find at gas stations, auto parts stores, and general merchandise stores with an automotive section. They are relatively inexpensive and you will not have to worry about tire mishaps due to low or high air pressure inside the tire. Maintaining proper tire air pressure will also help you drive with more fuel efficiency. You can look at your owner’s manual or check the sticker on the driver’s side doorjamb for the air pressure you should be using in your tires. It may be a good idea to invest in snow tires as well. While all-season tires are supposed to provide good traction in almost any weather condition, car manufacturers are outfitting the newer cars with low-profile tires that are wider than previous models, which perform poorly in the snow. 

Check your Engine, Fluid Levels, and Other Systems

Winter is a good time to perform a bumper-to-bumper inspection. You should make sure that you take your car to a good mechanic so that a thorough inspection can be made. Your car will be connected to a computer to access any error codes and the mechanic can give you an estimate on the cost of the auto repair and the time it would take to complete it. Your mechanic will check the electrical systems, suspension systems, and heating and cooling systems. He also will check your battery, windshield wipers, headlights, and turn signals. Checking your fluid levels, and topping them off, and perform other general car maintenance tasks will be on his to-do list as well. 

Assemble Winter Safety Kits

Winter driving can be even more unpredictable, so you should prepare yourself by assembling a winter safety kit to keep in your car. This kit should include items such as a first-aid kit, blankets, extra clothing, nonperishable snacks, and a flashlight. You should also include a small took kit for making minor repairs if you have the capability to do so, and a pair of battery jumper cables in case your battery dies on you. 

What to Do to Keep Your Car from Overheating in Winter

Many people are familiar with an overheating car on the side of the road in the summer, but are surprised to learn that cars can overheat in the winter as well. They assume that since the weather is near zero, the cold air temperature should be enough to keep the engine cool, but this is very far from the truth. Your car can overheat even in below-zero weather. You should know what to do to keep this from happening to your car.

First Thing to Remember: General Car Maintenance is Key

Your car needs to be subjected to a regular general car maintenance schedule in order to remain in good running condition. You can perform fluid checks, windshield wiper replacements, and oil changes yourself if you are comfortable getting under the hood. If you do not know how or do not want to do these things, you can locate an ASE master technician to perform these tasks for you. They can complete a bumper-to-bumper inspection that will include all of the systems in the car from the headlights to the taillights. You should have your battery, alternator, suspension, and transmission systems checked for any possible problems that may lurk. Catching problems early can reduce your auto repair bills in the end and help your car last longer. If your car is overheating, you should make sure the heating and cooling system is thoroughly inspected and any needed repairs are made right away. 

Check your Antifreeze Levels and Radiator Condition

You should check your antifreeze level to make sure you have the proper amount in the reservoir. Coolants are very important to the engine because the fluid transfers heat from the center of the engine out to the outside air. If there is a hole anywhere in this closed system, you will have a leak, causing your coolant level to get low and eventually cause your car to overhear.  The radiator should be checked because it is susceptible to rust and corrosion and can acquire holes from rocks or other hard debris on the road. The parts of the radiator, such as the thermostat and radiator pressure cap, needs to be checked to make sure they are securely seated in place to provide an adequate seal. You should be very careful when removing your radiator cap. Do not remove it when the engine is still hot. Let the engine cool all the way down before you open it to prevent getting burned by steam from the pressure created inside and the boiling coolant. Make sure your engine fan is working properly and perform regular oil changes.

Pay Attention to Your Circumstances

If you are experience overheating in the winter, you should pay particular attention to the events that are occurring right before the car gets too hot. For instance, if you notice that your car overheats soon after you turn it on, you could have a very low coolant level, a broken fan, a leak in the cooling system, or a faulty thermostat. If the overheat occurs after an extended period of driving, it could be many of the same problems as it is when the car overheats quickly, but instead of a faulty thermostat, your ignition timing could have the wrong settings, or the engine could have other mechanical problems. It is best to consult with an ASE master technicians to determine the cause of the overheat so you have the repairs made.

Maintaining Luxuries in Cars Today

Many cars in this day and age have computers and electronics that make many things automated. It could be something as simple as automatic logs when the car is put into drive, or even electronic windows. These were all luxuries at one point and still are in some cases, however it’s very important to maintain these features just as you would any other system in the car. They can become vital in the case of performance or safety, and you never want them to fail when they matter the most. Fortunately, most mechanics are trained to handle these just like any other car part, and can keep them running smoothly, however there are some things you can do to prevent these systems from giving out too early or too often as well.

Watching your Battery

The electronic systems in your car are all wired to your battery for power. When the car is running, the battery is automatically recharging, so it hardly seems like an issue at the time. However, when the car is off that battery’s power is the life of most of the features of the car, and as such you should use in moderation. Listening to the stereo for a long period of time with the rest of the car is turned off will drain your battery quickly, and leaving your lights on overnight is a definite way to kill the battery. Without it the automatic windows won’t scroll down and the stereo won’t play, let alone the fact that the car won’t start when you want it too.

Keeping your Luxuries

The more advanced systems in cars, including computers that can parallel park for you and include rear-view cameras and so forth, all run on specially designed computers. Some of these cars actually have more wiring in them then a commercial airliner, in order to wire up all of those sensors and mimic all the subtle touches a human driver might have without realizing it. Because of this it’s very easy to blow out one or many of these connections. If you ever accidentally kill your battery, or come across someone whose battery has died, the resulting boost given can kill your computer. Giving or accepting a boost can scramble many of the computer’s system, which is why most police cars don’t offer boosts for citizens unless absolutely necessary.

Fixing and Maintenance

Because of the rising prevalence of modern luxuries in cars it’s essential for mechanics and auto repair shops to keep up on all the latest techniques. Most can’t stock all of the parts necessary to fix an onboard computer, and often it requires a computer specialist over a mechanic, however they do hold the tools that allow them to diagnose the issue. Since the computer is loaded with so many sensors it is able to, when prompted with the right tools, search its own systems and help locate the cause of the issue. This allows the mechanics to find it and sort it out. Due to the sensitive nature of these computers, it is advised to never attempt to fix them yourself unless you’re a trained professional.