Ways to Proactively Protect Your Engine
Should I Use My AC During Winter?
Why You Should Use Your AC During Winter
During the summertime, we have our AC blowing on max. We do so to keep us cool and feeling refreshed. But what happens during wintertime? Do we keep our Air Conditioning off? No. We turn on the heating function of our A/C to try to keep us warm from the cold outside. But how effective have your settings been?
While it may be simple to just turn the knob to the red area and have the hot air blow into the car cabin, there are a couple of benefits of running your Air Conditioner during winter.
Should I Use My AC During Winter?
The short answer: Yes. You definitely should use your air conditioner during the wintertime. Not only does it keep you warm, but it ...[more]
What is the Driveline of Your Vehicle?
The driveline of your vehicle takes the power generated by the engine and transforms it into the rotation of the tires, providing the speed of your vehicle utilizing torque. The driveline is a very complex part of your vehicle. It includes the transmission, the driveshaft, the axles, and the wheels. It works in conjunction with the engine to move the wheels. Without a driveline, the power the engine creates would stop in the transmission, and the wheels won’t turn. Types of Car Batteries
You don’t put enough thought into your car batteries until it gives out. Then you think about how you just got this battery replaced a few months ago when in reality, it’s been three years. Your car battery does a lot for your car but has two important jobs. It exists mainly to start your car after you’ve turned it off. To start your engine, you need to create a spark to begin the ignition process. Your battery stores this energy to create the spark. The other job that your car battery does is to power the electrical components of your vehicle. This includes your headlights, your cabin lights, your radio, your dashboard, your window control, your mirror alignment and much more.
...[more]
Strange Sounds Cars Make and What They Mean
What's Leaking From My Car?
feeling. What could it be? What Happened to My Fuel Economy?
You notice that suddenly your vehicle seems to be getting worse gas mileage than it did a while back. Why? What happened?
Like with most things on your vehicle, there can be numerous problems at the root of poor fuel economy. Let’s start with the simple ones and work our way to the more complicated issues:
Tires: This one’s easy. Underinflated tires mean more rolling resistance (think about riding a bike with a low tire), and more rolling resistance means poorer fuel economy. Check your tire inflation at least once a month, while the tires are cold, using a good quality tire gauge. Even a pound or two of underinflation can be enough to cause problems!
Air filter: The air filter is made ...[more]
How To Maintain A New Car
So you got a new set of wheels – congratulations! You’re going to want to hang onto it as long as possible, so you’ll want to keep it maintained as well as you 
can. Here are some suggestions:
First, read the owner’s manual carefully and stick to manufacturer’s recommendations for service intervals. There are certain things that are critical enough that failure to adhere to recommendations can void a new car warranty. Don’t let that happen!
For instance, just about every manufacturer recommends synthetic oil for their engines; it provides better protection in just about every respect, and it’s more stable at high and low temperatures. If your owner’s manual prescribes a 10,000-mile oil change, stick wi ...[more]
Spark Plugs – How Often Should They Be Replaced?
In the old days, a tune-up was necessary about every 35,000 miles. It would usually consist of setting the ignition timing, replacing the mechanical breaker points in the ignition, cleaning and adjusting the carburetor and replacing the plug wires and spark plugs. Today, of course, the carburetor’s job is done by fuel injection and the ignition timing and spark are controlled by the engine computer. Few vehicles still have plug wires anymore either, as the distributor was replaced by the computer and a coil-on-plug design which delivers a spark at each spark plug.
But what about the spark plugs themselves, though? How often do they need to be replaced now?
Manufacturers tout an 80k-100k mile service interval on spark plugs now, thanks in part to improvements in plug design and materials. That might be stretching it, however. Remember that if you have a 100,000-mile spark plug, its electrode is worn down 4/5 ...[more]
Things To Look For When Buying a Used Car
technician can use onboard diagnostics to get a good picture of what's going on under the hood and what problems might be coming up. | 12 | Next >> |
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