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.'

Wiper Blades

Is it time for a mid-winter wiper refresh? If you live in a snowy climate, you know how valuable your windshield wipers are. For those that don't have to deal with the white stuff much, let me explain. It's not so much that you need wipers to whisk away snowflakes as they land on your windshield. They tend to blow right past as you're cruising down the road. It's the salt, that darn salt! Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful for the work road crews put in to keep the roads from freezing over. But I still curse when I see it all over the windshield. That's why your wipers must be in top shape this time of year. Salt spray is impossible to see through once it covers your windshield, so you need to be sure your wipers can make a clean swipe across the windshield. It's a matter of safety, really. If your wipers are launching a smear campaign, install new wiper blades today.

What you need to know about differential service.

Don’t be embarrassed if you don’t know what a differential is; you will in a moment. That fact is that if you drive a car, you have a differential. Whether your vehicle is front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, you have a differential. You might even have two or three.

As you might guess from the name, a differential’s job is to compensate for differences. Specifically the differences in wheel speed when turning. For instance, imagine taking a corner. Your inside wheel has a shorter distance to travel than the outside wheel as you go around the corner. That means that your outside wheel has to turn faster to keep pace with the inside wheel.

The differential allows the wheels to turn at different speeds while still providing power. Without a differential, our tires would scrub and hop along the pavement during turns.

You’ve probably noticed the big bugle in the middle of the rear axle when you’re behind a truck. That’s the differential. Rear-wheel drive vehicles have a differential in back. Most four-wheel drive trucks and SUVs will also have a similar differential on the front axle.

Front-wheel drive vehicles’ differential is called a transaxle because it combines the differential and transmission in one unit. An all-wheel drive vehicle will have a differential or transfer case that adjusts for speed differences between the front and rear drive wheels.

It can seem a little complicated. But you can see that all of the engine’s power is routed through your differentials. They’re strong enough to handle the work, but they need to be properly lubricated in order to stay strong. So from time to time, you need to have your differential serviced. You can service your differential at any certified auto repair shop. The used fluid is drained and replaced with clean fluid. Some differentials also require special additives to be installed.

The rule of thumb for the time and mileage interval for servicing your differential can vary greatly by vehicle. A front-wheel drive vehicle’s transaxle will need servicing more frequently than the rear differential on a pick-up truck, so check with your service advisor or your owner’s manual for recommendations.

How and where you drive will have an impact as well. If you drive on dirt roads or through streams,you’ll need to service the differential much sooner than if you always stay on the pavement.

How to tell what Tire you need.

You know you need new tires, but you’re not sure what type. You look at a tire to get the size: 225, 50, R, 16, 92, H. All the way to the service center you keep repeating it over and over. You even say it over in your mind while waiting in line. Then you get to the counter and the manager asks what size you need. Then your mind goes blank.

Tire size can be confusing. There’s so much on the side of the tire, and it’s hard to keep straight.

Even though there’s a lot on a tire – if you know what it all means, it’s actually more helpful than confusing. Let’s start with the size number.

For example, let’s say a tire reads: 225 50 R 16 92 H. The 225 part is the width of the tire in millimeters – the width between the sidewalls of an inflated tire with no load. The 50 is the aspect ratio – the ratio of the sidewall height to the tread width. Off-road tires will have a higher number and high performance tires will have a lower number.

The R signifies it’s a radial tire. And 16 is the rim or wheel size in inches.

The 92 is the load rating index – it’s the load carrying capacity of a tire. The higher the number, the more it can safely carry. Your empty vehicle can be safe with a lower number, but you’ll need a higher rating if you routinely haul heavy loads. The next letter is the speed rating. Not all tires are speed rated. The ratings generally follow the alphabet: the further up the alphabet, the higher the speed rating – with the exception of H – it comes between U and V (don’t ask why).

There’s a lot of fine print that you probably need a magnifying glass to read. But there are a couple of other large print items of interest. One is the tread type: highway, mud and snow, all season, severe snow, etc.

And then there’re the Uniform Tire Quality Grading System markings. The first is a tread wear index. 100 is the base line – a lower number is poorer and a higher number is better. All things being equal, a tire rated 200 would wear twice as long, on a government test track, than one rated at 100. These wear grades are only valid within a manufacturer’s product line – you can’t compare with other manufacturers. And it’s important to note that a lower rating might be just what you want – a high performance, sticky tire has a softer rubber compound and won’t wear as long, but boy, will it take those corners.

The next is a traction grade. This measures the tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement in government tests. A – the best, B – intermediate, C – acceptable.

Temperature grade measures a tire’s resistance to heat build up in government tests. A, B and C – from best to acceptable.

It’s safe to go with the original equipment recommendations that came on your car. But if you want to make adjustments, you’ll now be better equipped to communicate with your tire professional.

TYPES OF AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRONICS

Types of automotive electronics

Engine control module
Computers and electronic devices are used to control the engine and its support systems. Because of these controls today’s automobiles use less fuel and have higher performance.

These electronically controlled engines also have lower tailpipe emissions and are better for the environment then cars of the past.

Automotive electronics are also used in modern transmissions to activate shifting to again provide the right amount of power coupled with the maximum amount of fuel economy.

A little known fact is that about 75% of all function on modern-day vehicles is controlled by electronics. An example would be antilock braking systems.

These were once optional on vehicles of the early 90s. But now have become standard equipment. They have branched this system out to also control active suspension systems as well as traction control systems.

Some very cool technology is not very far down the road. Things like intelligent cruise control that uses infrared or radar technology will automatically knock the cruise off as you approach the vehicle in front of you.

Also an interesting development has been the use of headlights that are movable and now allow for your headlights to do a better job of illuminating the road ahead on twisting and turning roadways.

Is Fix-a-Flat Safe To Use?
Tuesday January 26, 2010
The stories of bodily injury and death by explosion pop up almost instantly when you mention Fix-a-Flat in the company of a seasoned auto mechanic or tire tech. I say seasoned because it's usually older guys that tell the stories. I'm here to tell you with 100% conviction that Fix-a-Flat will NOT explode! If you're using another product, be sure to check it out, but the Fix-a-Flat brand is non-explosive and can be used without risk of injury to the person who is removing the tire. Messy? Oh yeah. But not deadly. I could go on and on about this, and since I can write whatever I want, I did go on and on about it here! Read up on the history of the explosion myth and why there's nothing to worry about.

Having Your Brakes Serviced? Don't Forget the Parking Brake
Friday January 29, 2010
We all know how important it is to keep your brakes in top shape. After all, it doesn't do any good to drive to the store if you can't stop once you get there. Unfortunately, for many people "top shape" means making sure they have enough brake pad to make a safe stop, but nothing more. Pads are important, but there are other aspects of your braking system that need to be attended to. For instance, have you checked your brake fluid lately? Low brake fluid is a common cause of brake failure. And how about your parking brake? Adjusting your parking brake can be a pain in the neck, and is very different with each vehicle. If you have a good repair manual you can adjust your own parking brake. If not, have your regular mechanic or a brake shop check the adjustment next time you bring your car in. It's a worthwhile safety check.

Why do I need to replace my timing belt so often?