Infographic: Car Maintenance Checklist

Start the new year fresh with this car maintenance checklist! Car Care Council’s general service schedule is easy to follow based on month intervals and focuses on what items need to be checked and when. Don’t forget to check your owner’s manual, too. Not only does routine auto care and preventative maintenance help keep your car safe and…

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Making Your Vehicle Last With Regular Service

A lot of people have older vehicles. They’re good commuters, grocery-getters or toy-haulers. They enjoy that fact that they’re paid off, or soon will be. They would gladly like to keep their vehicles for 200,000 miles or more – as long as it’s economical to do so. There are plenty of people whose vehicles are running…

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Forced Induction

Most area residents associate turbochargers and superchargers with hot rods and racing. However, the number of everyday cars and trucks coming from the factory with chargers is growing every year. Here’s why – You need three elements for combustion: fuel, oxygen, and ignition (spark plug in gasoline engines and compression in diesels). Superchargers and turbochargers deal…

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Timing Chain

As your engine runs, the intake valves need to open up to allow air into the engine. They remain closed while the air and fuel is compressed and ignited, powering the piston. Then the exhaust valves open to release the exhaust. This all has to be timed very precisely. It is the job of the…

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Daylight Savings Time Ends November 6th, Check Vehicle Lights

The end of Daylight Savings Time happens in most parts of the United States on Sunday, November 6th and creates unfamiliar driving conditions that can be hazardous without proper vehicle lighting. Douglas Automotive Repair recommends vehicle lights be checked before the clocks “fall back” to help ensure safe driving, especially during dusk and peak evening traffic hours. A…

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Steering

Steering is one of the things we drivers take for granted in our vehicles. Let’s break it down into two areas: first, the power assist and second the actual parts that steer the vehicle. Most drivers who are under 40 have never driven a car or other vehicle without power steering. Most vehicles today have a hydraulic power steering pump that…

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Fuel System

I’d like to give our customers a quick overview of the fuel system. It starts with the fuel pump. The fuel pump is located inside the tank and pumps fuel out to the engine. Somewhere along the way is a fuel filter whose job is to filter out dirt before it hits the engine. Then there’s the fuel intake…

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Change Your Oil!

As engine technology advances, recommended oil change intervals have gotten longer. High quality oil in a well-engineered engine has led to extended intervals. Here’s the problem: With longer oil change intervals, it’s tough for vehicle owners to follow them closely. Back in the day of 3 months or 3,000 miles, if you went an extra month or…

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Serpentine Belt

Your serpentine belt drives your alternator and air conditioning compressor. The power steering and power brake pumps are driven by the serpentine belt in many vehicles. In some vehicles, the water pump is driven by the serpentine belt (in others it’s driven by the timing belt). The radiator cooling fan on some vehicles are also…

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Battery

Batteries are a huge part of modern life. I mean, how many battery chargers do you have? Of course, our purpose here it to talk about your car battery. When people come into our automotive repair shop and need a new battery, they’re really not that happy about having to spend the money. But the fact…

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