Maintaining your vehicle during Summer travelsFirst posted on our sister stores blog on July 19th, 2011, posted in: Blog, General maintenance by benchmarkauto0 Comment

 

Well, it appears that Mother nature is holding out a little longer for the “hotter” weather this year!  She has given us a taste of summer a few times so far this year, however; not the normal we all expect by this time of the year.  I am optomistic that it will eventually get here though. It seems that many consumers are fairly proactive in getting their vehicle ready for the Winter travel season, but not so much for the Summer travel season. Summer temperatures are very hard on vehicles just like the Winter conditions can be, in many cases even worse!
Here is a small list of items to have checked before your Summer travels.

• One of the most overlooked items for Summer travel is your battery. Heat is very tough on batteries and they will often fail without warning, potentially leaving you stranded.
• Engine coolant and cooling system components like your thermostat and radiator/heater hoses.
• Tires, all tires are “vented” and will leak small amounts of pressure, so check them often. The Department of Transportation (DOT) recommends and suggests that all tires, regardless of tread depth, be change every 6 years due to the structural decline of the tire.
• Cabin air filter. Most current vehicles have a cabin air filter equipped in the heater box to help with pollutants, dust and pollens in your vehicle. This is a much overlooked item so if you have a “musty” smell or a windshield that always seems to be “dirty’ on the inside, it may be time to change your filter?
• Wiper blades are actually more important in the Summer months than the Winter months. Why you ask? when the wiper blade sits on your windshield and the sun is on the glass most of the day, the sun has a tendency to “cook” the blades and this dries them out. Of course,  most of us do not realize this after having had some hot sunny days until that first rain shower; you turn on the wipers and it almost seems worse than it did before you turned them on!  Wiper blades are reasonable price wise and should be replaced at least twice a year.
• Don’t forget about that air conditioning! Check your A/C for proper cooling so when it gets hot you are not surprised to find it does not work.  For tips on how to lower the interior temp of you car,

             click here:  http://www.carcarenewsservice.org/articles/two-tips-cooler-cabin

• Lights are often overlooked this time of year due to longer daylight hours.
• Fluids. All fluids are important to your vehicle so make sure to have them checked and serviced as needed.

We hope this small list helps prepare you for your summer travels and please contact us with any questions.

 Scott can be contacted via email-benchmarkauto@msn.com and Andy can be reached via email at hoauto@msn.com.

With all of life's stresses, sometimes you just need a break. Taking 15 minutes to unwind and reboot is a good idea for all of us.Not thinking about work can help you refocus. Today while taking a walk I looked up and this little  doe was about 7-8 feet from me. She was not frightened. Probably more annoyed than anything else. I watched her watch me for a few minutes and then took this snapshot. I went back to my walk and she remained there. What a de-stresser!

Cars can be frustrating when they don't work correctly. Proper maintenance is key to reducing the likelihood of a mechanical breakdown. Follow the guide in your owners manual. A good safety inspection at least 1 time per year is also a good idea. Follow the recommendations in you manual or ask your mechanic for variances based on your local driving conditions.

Stop and go driving is considered severe driving conditions. Also, the car that was not driven very often by a "little old lady who just took it to church on Sunday" is also considered severe driving conditions. Byproducts from combustion will never evaporate when these precision machines are driven like that. Carbon can also be an issue. Look at the island and consider this: most people live close to Winslow. Engines do not typically get fully warmed up. How far do you live from T & C or Safeway? This can cause carbon to build up in the combustion chamber or on the back side of the valves. That carbon will act like a sponge and absorb some of the fuel that is injected into the cylinders. The best option is to drive! Make that a good excuse to drive into Poulsbo or Silverdale and take your significant other out to lunch. At least 2 things accomplished and your car will love it. (Not to mention your significant other!)

Remember, less stress is a good thing.

Happy motoring.

Should I keep this car or junk it?

This is a question that we get a lot. Here is a basic look at what we do to help our customers make this decision.

First question-Do you like the car? This is a very important question. If you don't like the car, you probably do not want to keep it. Extensive repairs are not going to make most people like a car better. After all, if you replace an engine or transmission, the window may still not go up and down, that exhaust may still have that coat hanger holding it in place and that spring in the seat will still poke you when you sit down.

Second question-Have you had to do a lot of repairs in the last year or two? This is something that you need to look at a lot closer. If the brakes got replaced because they wore out, that is not a repair, it is maintenance. If the brake master cylinder failed, that is a broken part that needed to be replaced, thus a repair expense, not maintenance. Did you replace the timing belt? They need to be replaced on many cars as a matter of maintenance (some cars use chains that only get replaced if it wears out). Fluids need to be serviced from time to time, tune-ups need to be done, accessory belts need to be replaced.

This will all be true on a newer car. They are after all machines. Proper maintenance helps reduce the number of repairs that will be required on any machine, especially something as complex as a car.

Third question-Does the expense exceed the value of the car? Sometimes it will. Now you have to look at it from a different angle. What are your expectations for this car? Do you want to try to make it last while someone goes to school? Would a bus be a better option? If you had to replace it, what would it cost? You probably have repair & service records that you can review. Has the car been pretty reliable? Would an expensive repair be a good option because you know that for the most part,  the car is reliable. . If you do not fix the car, will you replace it? Will you get the service records on the replacement vehicle? Why are they getting rid of it? Are the tires in good shape? Will they likely last while you use the car for this limited time frame? ( you still need it to be safe)

This is a basic format that I use when talking with someone about expensive repairs. I hope that it helps some of you that may have to make that type of decision. Some of  it can be applied to other things that come up in our lives.

Andy is the manager @ Hockett  & Olsen Automotive on Bainbridge Island. He can be reached via email hoauto@msn.com

Tire Basics 101

Most folks don't know much about tires. Most people seem to think that they are round, black, rubber things that the car/truck has to have that costs too much. What you may or may not realize is how very different and very important tires are. They are the single points on your vehicle that must maintain contact and traction on the road.

If your engine is running well, transmission works as it should, the vehicle won't handle  as well as it should if the tires are not the right type for that vehicle. There can be too much flex in the sidewall during “spirited acceleration, braking, or cornering”. The tire may not have the capacity to handle and hold the weight on heavier vehicles.

One of the first things a tire salesperson should ask you is what are your driving habits. Next, do you put snow tires on in the Winter? Snow traction tires have very different features than Summer or all season tires. What did you like about your current tires? What didn't you like? This will help the salesperson narrow down the best options for your driving habits.

Tires have different tread patterns for different uses. The basic design will consist of  several things: water channels (to help displace water), varying tread block types and sizes (to help suppress noise and improve traction), and siping (for additional traction).

Tires have different sidewall construction and can offer a number of benefits. Some are: less flex on turns, more stability when loaded, comfortable ride and styling.

The heart of any tire is the inner liner. Its job is to give the tire shape and hold in the air. Wrapped around the inner liner are fabric belts. Fastened to the bottom of the fabric belts is the bead, which holds the tire to the wheel.

Let's talk about tire size. Most tire sizes start with either a 'P' or an 'LT'. This tells us if it is a passenger or light truck rated tire. The light truck tires have a higher load capacity.

The next number is the approximate width of the tire, then is the aspect ratio or the height of the tire. Lastly is the rim or wheel size. The best part of the whole tire is the next number and letter combination. Usually a number which indicates the tires load capacity, and then the letter that tells the speed capacity of the tire. I like to call it the performance rating since most cars are not even capable of handling the speed that the tire can handle.

A few years ago there was a pretty well known case of tires that failed and there were several deaths associated with it. My perspective on the case was this: The tires were underinflated based on what they were designed to be run at. Most of the rollovers occurred in hot climates. The resulting failure was due to heat build-up in the sidewalls due to road conditions, under inflation (based on design) and outside temperatures.

Tires should be rotated at various intervals, depending on manufacturer recommendations. A good general guide would be about every 6,000 miles. This is very important on all wheel and 4 wheel drive vehicles.

Proper tire inflation is very important for handling, load carrying ability, and fuel economy. Tire pressure should be checked at least 1 time each month. 

Andy Cotey is the manager of Hockett & Olsen Automotive on Bainbridge Island. He has been in the automotive industry for over 20 years. He can be reached via email at- hoauto@msn.com

A new automotive blog for the average consumer

My intent is not to help you fix or repair your car. If you are looking for that, you will need to keep on looking.

I will be trying to help educate you about car care to make you a better consumer. If I can help teach you some of the basics about cars, suvs and light trucks,  then I will have reached my goal. We will be looking to have a hands on clinic in October 2015 to help tech the basics like: checking your oil, checking tire pressure, adding fluids, explaining the amber warning lights on the dash and even how to change a flat tire! Watch for more details.

This industry is changing rapidly and with it, the technology.

Soon, the old jokes about putting the car on cruise control and reading the paper will be reality, not a punchline.

If you have some questions about car repair or maintenance please contact me via email me at hoauto@msn.com