Category: Car Care

Proper Maintenance Will Keep You on the Road

Most people wait until their car battery dies before they decide to replace it, a recent report revealed. The survey of 1,000 drivers, sponsored by Batteries Plus Bulbs, showed that 53 percent of the group waited until they were stranded by a dead battery and then had to call for roadside assistance.

“We get a lot of calls for dead batteries,” says Steve Mazor, chief automotive engineer with the Automobile Club of Southern California. “It always seems to be at the most inopportune time and place.”

While the battery is a simple, relatively inexpensive device, it is essential. If it doesn’t work, you aren’t going anywhere. So it pays to check your battery regularly and replace it before it dies.

A car’s 12-volt battery stores electricity used to briefly turn the car’s engine until it starts and runs. Then, the engine’s power turns the alternator, which generates electricity to [...]

These guidelines will help you know when to replace tires

Like many other car maintenance tasks, when it comes to your tires, there is no exact number of years or miles you should reach before you replace them. How often to replace tires depends on a number of variables, including obvious considerations such as tread depth or sidewall damage, but it also depends on indicators you may not often think about, including tire age and the climate you live in.

Tires are an extremely important part of your car’s equipment. No matter how many advanced driver assistance or safety systems your car has, worn-out or damaged tires can render them useless. Those four rubber hoops are the only part of an automobile that contact the road, and bad tires can cause your car to lose traction or efficiency and could lead to a loss of vehicle control entirely.

As we said at the outset, there [...]

Don’t just turn it off; fix the problem

The check engine light, also known as the malfunction indicator lamp, illuminates whenever one of your car’s computers or sensors is giving an incorrect reading. Little things, like a loose gas cap or a faulty oxygen sensor, can set off the check engine light, but it can also be an indication of a far more serious problem, such as worn-out timing equipment or a bad catalytic converter. Whatever the cause may be, it’s crucial to visit an auto parts store, repair facility, or dealer to diagnose the issue and make any necessary repairs.

Check engine lights most commonly come in an orange or amber color, with either an icon in the shape of an engine block or words like “check engine.” A steady check engine light is usually an indication of a serious but not urgent problem. If the check engine light starts flashing, however, it means [...]

When the season changes to spring, our cars often wear the scars of the winter they’ve just endured. And not just from the harsh weather.

Road salt helps melt ice, which definitely makes the roads safer. However, there are some definite downsides when it comes to your car. Read on to learn exactly how road salt works—and what road salt does to your car.

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If you’re buying or driving a 2008 or newer car, truck or SUV, it has a tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS), which uses sensors to continuously monitor pressure in the tires and warn you with a dashboard symbol when tire pressure is dangerously low. The feature is standard on all 2008 and newer models, thanks to the TREAD Act, which Congress enacted in 2000 after rollover incidents involving the Ford Explorer and Firestone tires. Some 2006 and 2007 model-year vehicles also have TPMS.

The TPMS symbol is either a cross-section of a tire with an exclamation point in it or an overhead view of a car with all four tires exposed. Because of a variety of considerations from tire companies and automakers, a TPMS warning light isn’t required to come on until a tire is 25 percent below the manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure. That’s also well below the pressure required for safe driving, according to the American Automobile [...]

When most people think of exterior car detailing, the old-fashioned “wash and wax” comes to mind. Today’s drivers who know better realize much more goes into detailing a car’s exterior like the pros. For example, carnauba car wax following a hand wash was the go-to form of paint protection for decades. That standby has given way to paint sealants and ceramic coatings in recent years.

An often forgotten or unknown action is using a clay bar to deep clean paint and remove bonded contamination before adding a new layer of paint protection. And while the clay bar is excellent for wholly and safely removing surface contamination, chemical decontamination is necessary to remove the contamination embedded beneath the paint’s surface. Using an iron removal product will help remove brake dust from the color before it can blossom into unsightly rust blooms.

Read on to learn about the steps for professional exterior car detailing to help keep your vehicle looking new.

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Most people spend a significant amount of time in their vehicles. If you are one of those that live in your car and, especially those with kids, you know how dirty your car can get. Follow along as we show how to clean common automotive fabrics and stains.

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There are a number of times when people need to store a vehicle for an extended period of time. Maybe you have a convertible that you love to drive in the summer, but winter is on the way. Or perhaps you’re going to leave town for a job or an extended vacation. Maybe you are in the military and are being deployed overseas.

Whatever the reason for your time away from the vehicle, you’ll need to put it in storage. If you simply let your vehicle sit on the street or in a garage for an extended period of time, you may return to a dead battery or — worse yet — a damaged engine, ruined tires and a rat’s nest under your hood.

Here are important steps to take before you store a vehicle. They will preserve the life of the engine and ensure that your car starts when you return to it.

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It won’t be long before the weather gets iffy, if that time hasn’t already arrived. Driving safely during the fall months requires more than just cautious driver behavior. Your car also needs some attention.

Here are 10 practical tips to help get your car ready for fall.

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Regular preventive maintenance is probably the single thing you can do as a car owner to keep your ride happy and save money on repairs in the future. However, not everyone agrees on what preventive maintenance is, what you should do, and when you should do it. Let’s clear that up, and give you some tips that’ll apply to any vehicle.

Anyone who’s ever worked on cars or spent a ton of money getting their car repaired will tell you: Don’t ignore preventive maintenance. The basics, like changing your oil, checking your tire pressure, and getting scheduled inspections and work done are like getting regular checkups at the doctor. They keep you healthy and give you—and the experts—a chance to catch anything serious before it becomes a major problem. With your car, that can save you thousands.

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