Posted on 7/25/2021
Heat isn't easy on vehicle tires, and as the seasons change, make sure yours are ready to take the heat. Let's talk first about inflation. Heat causes air to expand, so heat alone can raise the pressure in your tires. If you are driving on overinflated tires, they won't have as much contact with the road surface. In that case, it will take you a longer distance to stop. On the other hand, you don't want your tires to be underinflated during hot weather, either. That can cause your sidewalls to flex. Friction will then hike up the temperature and your tire can be in danger of blowing from the added heat. Other things can cause problems, such as uneven wearing. Your service advisor knows the signs to look for and can diagnose where the wear is and what is likely causing it. Another thing a technician will look for on tires is tread depth and the condition of the sidewalls. Any cuts, cracks or bulges could be indications that your tire ... read more
Posted on 7/18/2021
You may live in a region where roads become pockmarked with craters known better as potholes. They're caused by moisture seeping through a compromised road surface that can freeze, expand and literally punch holes in the road. And when your vehicle hits one of those holes that's big enough, the impact can flatten a tire, bend a wheel or tear apart a suspension component. To minimize pothole damage, leave enough room between you and the vehicle in front of you so you can see the road surface and any upcoming potholes. That way you'll have time to slow down and steer around them. Also, if you see what looks like a puddle of water, it may be hiding a pothole underneath, so treat it as if was a pothole. If you keep your tires inflated to the manufacturer's specifications, they're more likely to withstand hard impacts. And the slower you're going when you hit a pothole, the less likely you are to break something. But if you do find you've hit ... read more
Posted on 7/11/2021
Automotive design has come a long way since the days of the Model T, especially when it comes to safety technology. You can thank computers for a lot of the latest innovations. Here are a few that have been making their mark in recent years. Adaptive cruise control. This is cruise control with a brain. Not only will adaptive cruise control keep your vehicle going at a steady speed, it will also slow it down and even stop it if the vehicle ahead of you slows down and stops. Automatic emergency braking. We've all been distracted while driving, and you've probably been in a situation where the driver ahead of you has suddenly stopped. Or maybe your attention wandered for a minute and you looked up to see your vehicle closing in fast on the car ahead of you. (After all, there are a lot more distractions in your vehicle these days.) New systems that use cameras, lasers and other types of sensors will warn you to start braking. If y ... read more
Posted on 7/4/2021
Driving along, your exhaust system's rumbling so loud that people turn and stare at you pass by. You're wondering when the police are going to pull you over for illegal noise. Your mind immediately thinks, aha! A broken muffler. Well, your exhaust system is composed of many more parts than just a muffler. Your engine makes power because of thousands of tiny explosions from detonating fuel. Those explosions make a racket, so engineers came up with a system that acoustically dampens that sound in addition to getting rid of harmful exhaust. In the engine is the exhaust manifold that looks like several pipes that join up into one pipe. It directs exhaust to the catalytic converter. The catalytic converter converts harmful gases into less harmful gases using certain chemical reactions. Then comes the muffler that has baffles inside to quiet the sounds of your engine noise. Finally: the tailpipe. All of those pipes and parts are joined together by cl ... read more
Posted on 6/27/2021
Mirror, mirror on the door, why is my vision there so poor? Well, you could have a broken outside rearview mirror that's disabled your blind spot vision there and endangering your ability to see some of the traffic around you. Outside rearview (or door) mirrors are important safety devices that are thoughtfully designed to help drivers see. And there are a variety of ways those door mirrors can develop problems. One is when the glass is broken in them. Sometimes it's caused by an accident or vandalism. But without your ability to see in that mirror, you could be driving blind, unable to see drivers approaching from the rear in adjacent lanes. Sometimes it's as simple as having the glass replaced. You'll greatly enhance your safety if you do. Then there's the door mirror that you can't adjust. First, let's look at a common scenario in later models, the power mirror. They're great when they're working, awful when they're not. Sometime ... read more
Posted on 6/20/2021
Let's face it. Vehicles are complicated machines, each having thousands of parts. And since they're subjected to heat, cold, vibrations, bumps and much more, these parts wear out and need to be replaced. When your service advisor says you need a new part, you may have many options. Let's say you need a new muffler. One choice would be to get exactly the same part that was installed when the vehicle was manufactured. The advantages are that it will perform the same way as the one it's replacing and will likely last about the same amount of time as the original. Some mufflers are made by the same companies that supplied the automaker when your vehicle was new (they call that an OEM part—Original Equipment Manufacturer). And often those are the same as the part you'd buy from a dealer. A reputable vehicle service facility will know which ones these are because they replace mufflers all the time and do their homework. The good news is there a ... read more
Posted on 6/13/2021
It's pretty frustrating when your driver's window won't work. You can't get your food at the drive-thru without opening the door, have a tough time using the ATM from your vehicle, can't have that fresh breeze blowing through your hair as you listen to your favorite road tunes. Plus, there's a safety factor. Your windows provide an escape route in case you need to get out and the doors won't work. Let's take a look at what's going on when your window won't operate. Most vehicles these days have power windows. They have an electric motor in each power window and sometimes those fail. They often give you a warning that they're on their last legs by making a noise or hesitating, so if you get a sign like that, have a technician check it out. Loss of power can also be due to a blown fuse, a bad switch or faulty wiring. All windows have something called a regulator that moves the glass up and down. They have a lot of moving parts in them which can break ... read more
Posted on 6/6/2021
You spend a lot of money on a vehicle, probably the most money you'll spend on anything except a house. But the spending doesn't stop after you've bought it. It goes into things like insurance, repairs and fuel. One good piece of news is that you can cut down the amount you spend on fuel if you follow a few tips. Keep your speed under 50 mph/80 kph. Anything over that and your fuel economy will go down quickly the faster you go. Sure, you can legally drive faster than that, but practice this one tip and it can save you from 7%-14% on fuel. Use cruise control. The steady speed increases fuel economy by avoiding unnecessary braking and accelerating. If your vehicle is carrying unnecessary weight, unload it. If you can save 100 pounds/45 kilograms, it can save you 1% of your fuel. Don't idle. Let's say you're sitting in a parking lot with your engine running for 10 seconds. Any more and you're wasting fuel. Turn ... read more
Posted on 5/30/2021
If you've ever walked into your garage and noticed it smelled like gasoline, pay attention. Gasoline can be dangerous, both from the health problems fumes can cause and the fire danger gasoline presents. There are many things that can cause a vehicle to give off a gasoline odor. One of the easiest to track down is the gas cap. It could be missing or it doesn't seal well any more (they do wear out). That can also cause the Check Engine light to light up, so those are clues to tell your service advisor when you take it in for diagnosis. Another thing that can cause the Check Engine light to come on and produce a gasoline smell is the fuel filler neck. It's the part that goes from the place you put your fuel in to the gas tank. Over time, these can wear out and fail (they're made out of rubber or metal). They can leak gasoline, too. It's always a good idea to check the garage floor for any gasoline puddles. Note the location of the puddle in relation to ... read more
Posted on 5/23/2021
If you have an internal combustion vehicle, you know it has a lot of hoses that carry various fluids. And if you have a heater in your vehicle, you'll have heater hoses. A heater hose connects to and from the engine so some coolant can be circulated through a little radiator called a heater core. In cold weather, that heater core acts as a heat exchanger to heat up your cabin. Even in the hot weather, the heater hoses can prove problematic. That's because they may remain pressurized even though you're not running your heater. Heater hoses are made out of tough materials since they must handle heat and pressure. But even the durable rubber, plastic and metal they are made out of can crack or leak from years of use. That means coolant can be sprayed out into the engine compartment or leak onto a driveway or garage floor. You may be able to see a puddle of coolant under your vehicle or perhaps smell the odor of the coolant under the hood. So ... read more