AC MAINTENANCE

It has to be said that we can pay our auto mechanics a little now for routine service, or pay them a lot later for a major repair.

The same thing can be said for your air conditioner. If you don't service your air conditioner regularly, you'll find yourself hot and broke.

An air conditioner is a very tough piece of equipment. It can take all sorts of abuse and keep on running.Like a car, air conditioners need regular tune-ups to run right,

Without regular maintenance an air conditioner looses about 5% of it's original efficiency for each year of operation. The good news is that you can recover most of that lost efficiency through regular maintenance.


If your unit is low on coolant, and more must be added, it is a very simple process to recharge the sytem

There are some things in addition to yearly check up's that you can do to help ensure a high level of comfort and proper system operation. First, have your Cabin Air filter checked each year, If it is dirty it can constrict the air flow which makes your AC compressor work harder.

Remember a little maintenance now can save you alot of money later.

This picture doesn't really need much words. This is what happens when you don't change your oil for 60,000 miles. This is from a 2004 BMW engine. As you can imagine it does not bode well for the life of your engine.

Change your oil every 3000 or every three months which ever comes first. If you use synthetic oil then the intervals are for 7500 miles. A full synthetic does not break down and with vehicle's that get a lot of miles put on them we recommend the full synthetic.

Why is the cost of auto service getting so high?

Why is the cost of auto service getting so high?

A. It used to be that all you needed to repair a vehicle was a screw driver, a set of wrenches and a pair of pliers. Add some common sense, a basic knowledge of engines, and you have yourself a mechanic. That is all it took. Today it is a different story. There are no more "mechanics". They are now "technicians". The modern technician must know all aspects of car design and computer management systems. This entails training that never ends. Today's vehicles have more technology in them than the Lunar Landing Module of the Apollo spacecraft. It takes quite an effort to keep up. Shop owners, spend well over $100,000 to purchase the best equipment to fix today's vehicles. It never ends. For every change in technology, new equipment must be obtained. All of this is reflected in the price of repairing your vehicle.

Facts about Car Batteries

Interesting facts about car batteries and what makes them go dead before their projected lifespan expires. If you keep your vehicle the average 5 to 7 years that most people do chances are you will need to learn something about batteries along the way.

With the average car battery only lasting 3 to 5 years and some not even that long due to harsh conditions, you may have to deal with the battery issue more than once.

Side note: A car battery can be dangerous! You should always wear safety glasses. You should always work in a well ventilated area. It is rare that it will explode but it can happen! The invisible gasses floating above can be triggered by sparks, flames or even cigarette ashes.


What shortens a batteries life?
An overcharging condition can cause a boiling condition inside the battery that eventually will reduce the amount of water and electrolyte in the cells.

Alternator
An overcharge condition can be caused by the vehicle’s on-board alternator stemming from problems with voltage regulators or even the alternator itself.

A charging system test can reveal a problem with the on board system. Also automatic battery chargers can cause this same condition when the charger does not live up to its automatic functions.

You may not be able to do anything about this next cause of a shortened battery life if you have a sealed maintenance-free battery which most of us do.

In proper electrolyte levels in the battery cells will reduce the batteries storage capacity. Electrolyte can be lost due to evaporation during hot weather as well as an overcharge condition mentioned above.
Stop into the shop today and we can tell you your batteries condition.

Lemon Law

Lemon laws are nothing new. In fact, the phrase "lemon law" is evoked pretty often during car repair conversations. But what can lemon laws really do for you? Are you protected if your car seems like a citrus? The lore is so thick involving these rules and regulations, it's worth brushing up. I found lots of helpful information on Your Lemon Law Rights.com. Even if your state is not listed, the information varies little from state to state. Might be worth a read.

Synthetic Oil, Is it better for my car?

Synthetic oil (though not impervious to) is highly resistant to viscosity breakdown from chemical contamination, heat, and friction inside the internal combustion engine. Viscosity breakdown is the loss of ability of the oil to lubricate an engine. This toughness is due to the chemical fortification of the base stock oil at formulation. Non-synthetic oil tends to break down more easily because it lacks this chemical fortification.Synthetic oil also tends to flow easier at sub zero temperatures. At low temps, non-synthetic oil becomes heavy and thus doesn't flow very well. This condition causes dry startup and internal engine wear over time. Finally, because of the robust nature of synthetic oil, you can go longer between oil changes, usually double the recommended drain interval (3,000 miles). Overall, synthetic oil offers several benefits compared 'regular' oil..

87 OCTANE MIDDLE-GRADE GAS

Your vehicles owners manual states that you should use 87octane middle-grade gas. What would happen if you use regular grade gas instead.

Answer:
Over time a condition called "pre-ignition" or "engine knock" will occur. With this condition, when the fuel enters the engine it pre-ignites, which causes constant hammering of the tops of the pistons, cylinder head face, and valves. Eventually, major engine damage becomes evident and major repair becomes necessary. Your choice? Cheap gas or engine replacement. Don't be 'penny wise and pound foolish.'