Tag Archive for: Auto Care

Car Care Tips for the Cold Weather

Car Maintenance for Winter

advanced-auto-clinic-cold                   advanced-auto-clinic-tips

It’s hard enough taking care of your car during the Summer, but the Winter months prove to be a whole different monster. The roads become more slippery, more salt on the ground, more snow, etc. Taking care of your vehicle is even more essemtial during these times. Doing things like keeping up with your tire’s maintence can make your drive more safe.

With the help of Chicago Tribune and Car Talk we have found some great tips to ensure you are prepared for these cold weather challenges.

 

Keep Your Gas Tank Full

In the summer, you can take a chance and run down to fumes. But in the winter, if you do get stuck or stranded, the engine will be your only source of heat. And you don’t want to have to worry about conserving fuel and saving the planet right at that moment…you want to stay warm. You can run the engine indefinitely at idle to stay warm-or as long as you have gas. No harm will be done to the engine.

 

Fill Your Fluids

Fill your antifreeze. If it hasn’t been flushed in a few years, then it could use it. Green-colored antifreeze is the most common; whichever color you choose, don’t mix colors. Coolant and antifreeze are interchangeable terms. Coolant is typically sold premixed, that is it is half water, half antifreeze, as it needs to be. Antifreeze can be pure and needs to be mixed. Check the bottle; it’ll tell you. Ready for winter? Your car should be Ready for winter? Your car should be Check your oil. If it’s due for a change, consider refilling it with a lower viscosity oil. On the bottle it lists two numbers, or grades, the first for low temperature viscosity, the second for high temperature. 10W-30 is a common designation. The higher the number, the more viscous, or thick it is, the less fluid it is especially in cold temps. So you might want to consider 5W-20 or-30. That ‘W’ stands for winter, according to Valvoline and other sources.

Check Your Battery

Change the battery. Mechanics recommend changing it every 3 years, though you could get away with 5 years, depending on how much you drive and how you drive. If you see a mechanic, have him or her check the battery and replace the spark plugs. How to store your car for winter How to store your car for winter Make sure the cables are not loose. With the engine off, see if the cables can slip free from the nodes. Don’t yank, but be firm. Tightening the nut is easy to do and can save you from a mid-drive battery loss that requires you to get out of the car and take off your gloves. Check for corrosion. If there is a white powder, not unlike the dead skin of dried winter hands, around the nodes or the clamps then that could be a sign of corrosion. If you can’t get a new battery, then at least clean the nodes and clamps with baking soda, water and a toothbrush. Loosen the cables, clean the nodes and clamps, then dry it and retighten.

Check Your Cooling System

Make certain the antifreeze will protect your car at the winter temperatures you’ll experience in your area. For most areas, you’ll need a 50-50 mix of coolant to water. You may think, “I’ll be extra good to my car, and give it 100% coolant.” Guess what? You’re wrong. The 50-50 mix has a lower freezing point. Not only that, but 100% coolant is less able to transfer heat away from your engine, and has been known to cause such nasty things as melted spark plugs of engine failure under the wrong circumstances.So, mix it up!

 

View more tips from Chicago Tribune and Car Talk

 

Sources:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/automotive/chi-subzero-car-care-story.html#page=1
http://www.cartalk.com/content/winter-driving-tips-7

Car Care Tips: Shocks & Struts

Advanced Auto Clinic Car Care Tips

Shocks & Struts

 

 

 STRUTS

Struts are a structural part of the suspension system and are mounted to the chassis of the vehicle on the top, and they come down through. They give us a place to mount the coil spring, and the spring is what maintains the height of the vehicle, so we have a plate in here for the spring.

Car Struts are used on the front end of nearly every front-wheel-drive vehicle. They are more than shock absorbers and with a different name. A strut integrates numerous different suspension parts into one compact assembly. This includes:

The Coil Spring
The Spring Seats
The Shock Absorbers
The Strut Bearing
The Steering Knuckle
The shock absorber portion of the strut is the most commonly serviced part of the strut assembly.

 

Struts perform two jobs: They provide a dampening function like shock absorbers, and they provide structural support for the vehicle suspension. That means struts deliver a bit more than shock absorbers.

 

SHOCKS

A shock absorber keeps the vehicle from bouncing. It limits the rapid movement of the wheel when it hits something , like a pot hole. A shock absorber is basically an oil pump placed between the frame of the car and the wheels.

Upper & Lower Mounts
The upper mount of the shock connects to the frame & the lower mount connects to the axle, near the wheel.

Twin-tube design: the upper mount is connected to a piston rod, which is connected to a piston, which in turn sits in a tube filled with hydraulic fluid. The inner tube is known as the pressure tube, and the outer tube is known as the reserve tube. The reserve tube stores excess hydraulic fluid.

When the car wheel encounters a bump in the road and causes the spring to coil and uncoil, the energy of the spring is transferred to the shock absorber through the upper mount, down through the piston rod and into the piston. Orifices perforate the piston and allow fluid to leak through as the piston moves up and down in the pressure tube. Because the orifices are relatively tiny, only a small amount of fluid, under great pressure, passes through. This slows down the piston, which in turn slows down the spring.

In modern shock absorbers the faster the suspension moves, the more resistance the shock absorber provides. This allows shocks to adjust to road conditions and to control all things such as bounce, sway, brake dive and acceleration squat.

When To Replace Your Shocks & Struts:

  • Noticeable fluid leak
  • Shocks, struts or mounts look dented or damaged
  • Tires show unusual wear patterns

 

Because shocks and struts have so much to do with the handling of a car, they can be considered critical safety features.

 

ShocksStrutsBuy4for3Right now at Advanced Auto Clinic you can buy four qualifying NAPA Shocks and Struts for the price of three! Plus, with your purchase, receive a $50 NAPA AutoCare Center Service Card to use on a future service or repair of $75 or more! If your shocks and struts are worn, it may be time to replace them, so schedule your inspection today!

Advanced Auto Clinic
1101 Ann St., Delavan, WI 
262-728-2944

 

Offer good September 1 through October 31, 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
http://www.pepboys.com/lp_monroe_shocks_struts_sept2012/
http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_purpose_of_a_shock_absorber
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-suspension2.htm
http://news.carjunky.com/how_stuff_works/car_struts_what_are_they_abc169.shtml
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-suspension3.htm

Tips to Get Car Spring Ready

Wash Your Vehicle – Especially The Undercarriage

Wash your vehicle thoroughly. The Winter months have taken a toll on your vehicle, so it is important to wash away all of the salt, sand and debris that has accumulated. Road salt can cause damage to a car’s exterior, and it’s undercarriage ( That is where corrosive elements can do the most damage). Bottoms of doors can get coated with grime, so be sure to wash there as well.

Use a garden hose with as much water pressure as your system can muster to loosen winter grime and salt. Or, if you have a movable lawn sprinkler that’s low enough, set that under the vehicle to wash away what you can’t reach.

Spring is also a good time to check your entire vehicle for rust, which can worsen during the winter months.

Replace Wiper Blades

Wiper Blades go through a lot in the Winter. Check the blades to make sure the have full contact with the windshield and have not dried out. Also, refill the wiper fluid reservoir.

Check Tires

It’s important to check tire pressure after weather changes. Check your owner’s manual for the recommended pressure for your tire, and never exceed that. Higher pressure generally results in improved steering response and fuel economy, but a stiffer ride, and it wears out the tread in the center. Underinflation generally provides a smoother ride, but it causes tires to wear out at the sides. It also wastes gas because tires need more power to push the vehicle.

Also, rotate the tires. Rotating your tires extends the life of them and ensures safe driving

Check Steering, Suspension, Shocks & Struts

Your suspension system keeps your car up off the road. From there, it’s responsible for a smooth and comfortable ride. Suspensions keeps the car wheels firmly planted over bumps and through curves on roads and interstates. Your suspension system has many essential parts that do a big job. They should be inspected for damage and excessive wear at least once a year.

Worn shocks can increase the time and distance it takes you to stop your car in an emergency situation.

Advanced Auto Clinic Shocks & Struts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advanced Auto Clinic is a full service, automobile repair and auto repair maintenance shop serving the Delavan and Lake Geneva area with many years of consistent and friendly service. Our Mechanic Shop is a NAPA AutoCare Center that has been AAA approved and uses quality Valvoline oil. We look forward to serving you. We make your service experience hassle-free.

At Advanced Auto Clinic, we know how busy you are and want to help keep your vehicle in top condition. We offer free service reminders. Get your car a quick oil change! When it is time for maintenance, we remember for you! We are your Auto Repair Service Station.

View Our Services Here: https://www.aacdelavan.com/automotive-services/