Posts Tagged ‘Vehicle Maintenance’
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…
Read MoreFuel 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…
Read MoreChange 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…
Read MoreSerpentine 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…
Read MoreTire Rotation and Balancing
Drivers can make their vehicle tires last longer with regular tire rotation and wheel balancing. Let’s start with tire rotation. In normal driving around town your front tires wear more on the shoulders because they handle much of the cornering forces in turns. Front-wheel drive vehicles have even more force on the front tires. At Douglas Automotive Repair, we rotate…
Read MoreBattery
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…
Read MoreThe Maintenance Mindset
As responsible drivers residents, we know we need to take care of our cars, but it just seems really hard to remember to do it. We generally accept that many things in life require regular maintenance, but just may have not applied it to our vehicles. For example, we water and mow the lawn every week. And…
Read MoreEngine Air Filter
Today we want to talk about your engine air filter. That’s the filter that cleans the air before it’s burned in your engine. Many people wonder how often they should change their engine air filter. The simple answer is ‘when it’s dirty’. That’s a function of how much air has passed through the filter, so your…
Read MoreAdvice On Your Cooling System
Last week I was out running errands and my temperature warning light came on – total panic! I pulled over and my car was overheating. After it cooled down, I went right in to my service center to have them take a look. My service advisor at Douglas Automotive Repair told me my water pump was leaking…
Read MoreDon’t Wait – 5 Repairs That Can Cost More Later
We’ve all been there — choosing to ignore a troubling sound, odor or sign of wear on our vehicles. Whether it’s finding time in your busy schedule or funds in your checkbook, it’s easy to put off maintenance or repairs, but that can lead to more expensive work down the road. Here are five examples…
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