Vital Fluids

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:27:41 +0000

As we know every vehicle maintenance schedule is different. Many vehicle manuals suggest flushes or fluid exchanges at a specific mileage. However manuals only suggest the minimum maintenance in order to maintain the warranty on your vehicle. Often those minimum requirements are not enough to prevent a costly repair. Most fluids should be flushed or changed every 2 years or 30,000 miles.

Checking fluids regularly and often are the best way to monitor the “health” of your vehicle. Much like a cholesterol check, testing the brake, power steering, coolant and transmission fluids can show a problem or potential problem. At every visit we check all the vital fluids and make recommendations based on what we find. A simple fluid flush or exchange can prevent component damage and greatly extend the life of your vehicle.

Vehicle Fluids

admin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 19:53:19 +0000

There are many fluids other than oil that keep your engine running, over time these fluids become “dirty” and “break down”.

Transmission fluid like engine oil needs to be changed. Over time and miles, your transmission’s fluid begins to wear out. With even more moving parts than your engine, the transmission depends on its fluid to keep it clean, cool and free from harmful deposits.

Power Steering Fluid. Old power steering fluid turns into costly repair. Under extreme heat and pressure power steering fluid wears out. Old fluid can quickly damage and destroy bushings, seals, bearings, and gears.

Brake Fluid. Anti-lock braking systems are supersensitive to high temperature fluid deterioration. Deposit and varnish build up can lead to serious malfunction of the braking system as well.

What color should good fluid be?

Engine fluids are the “blood” of your vehicle. Checking your fluids often is much like a cholesterol check it can alert you to problems which may cause a future breakdown and costly repairs.

Performing regular scheduled maintenance is the key to long engine life and keeping you car payment free.

Memorial Day Travel Tips

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:55:24 +0000

Motorists traveling on Memorial Day weekend can’t do much about the high price of gas, but they can pay less at the pump by making sure their vehicles get maximum fuel economy. According to the Car Care Council, fuel economy is directly related to vehicle care and driver behavior and both can have a significant impact on how much motorists pay at the pump.

Under-inflated tires can impact the vehicle’s fuel economy. When tires aren’t inflated properly, it’s similar to driving with the parking brake on and can cost a mile or two per gallon.

Dirty air filters can also waste gas and cause the engine to lose power. An air filter that is clogged with dirt, dust and bugs chokes off the air and creates a “rich” mixture, which is too much gas being burned for the amount of air. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent.

Worn or dirty spark plugs can cause misfiring, which wastes fuel. Vehicles can have four, six or eight spark plugs that fire as many as three million times every 1,000 miles, resulting in a lot of heat and electrical and chemical erosion. Spark plugs that are replaced per the owner’s manual will lead to a better performing vehicle.

Vehicle gas caps that are damaged, loose or missing altogether waste gas. According to the council, about 17 percent of the vehicles on the road have gas cap problems, causing 147 million gallons of gas to vaporize every year.

“When gas prices soar, many motorists hunker down and don’t take proper care of their vehicles,” said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council. “What they don’t realize is that they can save at the pump by simply checking the tires, air filters, spark plugs and vehicle gas caps. These items can make a significant difference in the vehicle’s fuel economy and it takes very little time and money to check them.”

When it comes to driver behavior, the council reminds motorists that aggressive driving can lower gas mileage by as much as 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent on city streets.

Staying within the speed limit also improves fuel economy. Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 miles per hour (mph) and each mph driven over 60 will result in an additional 10 cents per gallon.

Excessive idling wastes gas and is unnecessary. A vehicle needs only one or two minutes to warm up. Motorists should also avoid jackrabbit starts and hard stopping, both that make a car less fuel-efficient. Gradually stepping on the gas and gently applying the brakes will improve fuel efficiency.

Although traveling usually involves carrying luggage, motorists should try to limit any extra weight or unneeded items in the trunk. An extra 100 pounds can cut fuel efficiency by 1 or 2 percent.

These helpful tips were brought to you from Car Care Council. At ALL TUNE and LUBE our customers safety is our highest priority. We want to educate you on how to drive safely and how to properly maintain your vehicle. We hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

What a dirty Cabin Air Filter can do

admin — Mon, 24 May 2010 19:20:01 +0000

During the hot summer months, contaminants, such as pollen, dust, mold spores and smog, can easily enter a vehicle’s passenger compartment through the air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems, making the air in the car six times dirtier than the air outside, cautions the Car Care Council.
Motorists can protect themselves and their passengers from these containments by replacing the vehicle’s cabin air filter annually or more often in areas with heavy containments, or whenever heating or cooling efficiency is reduced. Cabin air filters clean the incoming air and remove allergens – especially beneficial to people who suffer from allergies.
If your vehicle is model year 2000 or newer, there’s a good chance it is equipped with a cabin air filter.
“There are about 30 million vehicles in North America that currently have cabin air filters,” said Rich White, executive director of the Car Care Council. “However, most people have never heard of a cabin air filter or don’t know if their vehicle is equipped with one. Vehicle owners should refer to their owners’ manuals for this information.”
If the cabin air filter is not replaced, it can cause musty odors in the vehicle, and over time, the heater and air conditioner may become damaged by corrosion. A dirty or clogged cabin air filter can also cause containments to become so concentrated in the cabin that passengers actually breathe in more fumes and particles when riding in the car compared to walking down the street. — Car Care Aware www.carcare.org

Keeping Your Vehicle Cool in the Heat

admin — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:21:10 +0000

The cooling system is your engine’s only means of releasing the heat that builds to incredible temperatures inside the engine block. Water, mixed with coolant, carries the heat out of your engine to the radiator, where it is transferred to the metal fins in the evaporator and blown into the air. When the coolant becomes dirty there is a mixture of rust, scale and other bi products from the engine in the fluid. That mixture can cause a great deal of damage to the engine by corroding and clogging the passageways, choking off the water flow through the radiator which causes the engine to overheat. Often the damage from an overheated engine cannot be repaired.
As part of our safety inspection at ALL TUNE and LUBE we check your coolant fluid, testing it for deposits which can clog and corrode hoses.

ALL TUNE Bucks

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 17:44:51 +0000

Valued Customers: When you refer someone new to ALL TUNE and LUBE we will add $10 ALL TUNE Bucks to your account, which can be used toward any service.

Your referrals are our greatest compliment. Thank You for trusting us with your friends and family!
Butch & Kim Taylor, Owners