SIGNS YOU MAY NEED A TUNE-UP
If your engine misfires, hesitates, stalls, gets poor mileage, is hard to start or has failed an emissions test, it clearly needs something, though a tune-up in the traditional sense might not be the cure. If you tell a repair shop you need a tune-up, the mechanic should ask why you feel you need one […]
DO YOU REALLY NEED TO CHANGE THE TRANSMISSION FLUID?
Yes, though how often this service should be performed varies by manufacturer and vehicle, and it’s open to debate. The manufacturer’s maintenance schedule for many automatic transmissions doesn’t call for fresh fluid until 100,000 miles or, with some Ford transmissions, even 150,000 miles. A lot of mechanics say that is too long and it should be done […]
HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU ROTATE YOUR TIRES?
A good time to rotate your tires is when you get the oil changed, assuming you do that at least once a year and more often if you drive, say, more than 10,000 miles annually. Most vehicle manufacturers recommend that the tires be rotated on the same schedule as oil changes. In most cases that […]
TEN TIPS FOR SUV OWNERS
It’s a rare motorist who doesn’t have strong feelings about today’s sport utility vehicles. Love ’em or hate ’em, one thing is certain-just like their automobile cousins, SUVs last longer, operate more efficiently, and command a higher resale value when they are properly maintained and serviced. For those too busy or too overwhelmed by modern […]
END OF SUMMER MARKS PERFECT TIME FOR CAR CARE
PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE NOW CAN HELP ENSURE WORRY-FREE DRIVING THIS WINTER The vacations are over, the kids are back in school and cooler evenings have begun. Take advantage of the lull to prepare your vehicle for the winter ahead, advise the pros and the non-profit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). Breakdowns, never convenient, can […]
LOW VISCOSITY ATF AND EXTENDED DRAIN INTERVALS
The goal of CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards is to increase the average fuel efficiency of all the vehicles on the road to 54.5 MPG by 2025. Every few years until then, manufacturers have a benchmark average MPG to reach. For 2016, the CAFE benchmark is 35.5 MPG. In order to meet these goals, […]
WHAT IS THAT HORRIBLE SMELL IN MY CAR?
If your vehicle is giving off an unusual or sickening odor instead of that new-car smell, follow your nose and find the source of the aroma. Bad smells can lead to expensive repairs or health hazards and shouldn’t be ignored. Here are some common odors and their possible causes: Musty: If turning on the air conditioner […]
WHY CHOOSE SYNTHETIC MOTOR OIL
No matter how well they’re made, vehicles are bound to have problems with their design or manufacturing. Think of all the moving parts. When the government thinks a problem is really serious, they require the vehicle manufacturer to issue recall notices to GILBERT residents and to fix the affected vehicles free of charge. The they try to […]
TIRE REPLACEMENT AT APA TOTAL CAR CARE
Ever notice that your tire is covered with writing? It’s like some hieroglyphic art form. Of course, GILBERT drivers know that it’s not just graffiti, but to most of us, it might as well be. Would you like to know what all those codes on your tire mean? It won’t lead you to buried treasure, […]
FUEL INJECTION CLEANING AT APA TOTAL CAR CARE
In very simple terms, a fuel injector is a valve that squirts fuel into your vehicle engine. Your engine control computer tells the fuel injector how much fuel to deliver as well as the precise time it should be delivered. Of course this happens thousands of times a minute in every single fuel-injected vehicle driving down GILBERT roads. Most fuel […]
