After dealing with the dirty, salty, sludge of winter, how great will it feel to hit the road in a clean and shiny car? A seasonal car cleaning will get your car looking great and provide you with a chance to undo some of winter’s damage. Spring and fall are also a great time to have regular auto services performed such as oil and fluids changes, wheel alignment, and tire rotation.

A seasonal car cleaning should begin with a complete car wash, including underbody. After a winter of driving the bottom of your car will be coated with corrosion causing salt, sand, and grime. Corrosion leads to rust that is extremely damaging your car, so it is essential to clean it from top to bottom. It is a good idea to get the undercarriage power wash at your car wash or spray the car’s bottom with a hose. A thorough rinsing is all you need – special cleaners are not necessary. After washing your car’s exterior, waxing provides it with protection and gives it a beautiful finish.

Cleaning the inside of your vehicle is also beneficial. Wipe down the engine to clear away all the debris that has accumulated under the hood.  Clean any white residue off the battery with a toothbrush, baking soda, and water. If corrosion residue accumulates, it may prevent your car from starting, so it is worth taking the time to clean those connections. Cleaning also helps prepare the battery for the stress of warmer temperatures.

Cleaning your tires is important, too, because they can become cracked or dry-rotted.  Scrub your tires with a good quality cleaner and finish up with a protective product. There are a number of options, with some providing a slick finish, others a more matte finish. The main objective is to condition and protect the rubber in your tires, and coat them with a UV protectant.

A truly thorough seasonal car cleaning should include scrubbing the bottoms of doors and cleaning the window channels. Apply a silicone spray that will repel dirt and lubricate the surfaces to keep the windows from sticking. Include a cleaning of the rugs and upholstery to remove all the salt from the car’s inside to prevent damage. Finally, check the wiper blades and replace them if necessary.

Tune up service and spark plug replacement are important for maintaining the power and efficiency of your vehicle’s engine. The engine is made up of many components working together to ensure proper starting and functioning. These components eventually wear out or break down, which may result in lost performance and inefficient fuel economy. Tune up service performed by your auto service professional will help maintain and extend auto life.

Spark plugs are an essential component that is checked during a tune up. Spark plugs initiate the combustion and power needed to move a vehicle. This combustion drives clean gas and air to the vehicle’s cylinders. Eventually fuel injectors become clogged, fuel filters get dirty, and the spark plugs become corroded. When parts are compromised, the engine will not perform as it should, and gas mileage will suffer. During tune up service, your auto professional will inspect your car and follow the recommendation schedule for replacing components.

While your car is in for a tune up, other maintenance services can be done. This may include checking the brakes and clutch, fluid and oil levels, and any other components. Having tune up service and spark plug replacement done on a regular basis will prevent serious and costly problems down the road.

Generally speaking, you should have a tune up every two years or every 30,000 miles, whichever comes first. See your owner’s manual for your vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations.

The Importance of Brake Maintenance, Part Two  

Brakes are critical to ensuring our safety on the road. Vehicle owners should have a general understanding of its brake system and the brake maintenance it requires. This is part two of our overview brake system and what services brakes require.

Brake System Maintenance

Brake system maintenance allows your auto technician to evaluate the degree of brake pad wear and determine when replacement is necessary.

Brake Pads and Rotors

Brake pads and rotors are the point at which the braking system connects with the tires. Due to the stress of extreme friction, these components deteriorate more easily than others and need more frequent maintenance. It is important to inspect the condition and depth of the pads to make sure there is sufficient resistance.

Brake Fluid

A car’s brake system relies on a hydraulic fluid, commonly referred to as brake fluid. Flowing through the brake lines, brake fluid provides the power or force necessary to bring a vehicle to a stop. It is necessary to drain and replace brake fluid periodically because it absorbs moisture from the air and degrades over time. Changing brake fluid at recommended intervals will assure proper brake system functioning. Brake fluid changes are typically done every one or two years, however different vehicles will have different recommendations for best performance.

Since your vehicle’s brake system and brake fluid are so crucial to its safe operation, it is really important to have brake service maintenance done by a qualified professional automotive technician.

In addition having regular brake system maintenance performed, it is important to pay attention to any signs of brake problems and have them looked at right away.

Signs of trouble might include:

• Strange Noises When Braking
• Braking Causes the Vehicle to Pull to One Side
• Brake Pedal Feels Odd or Spongy
• Excessive Vibration When Braking
• Jerking Sensation As Brakes are Applied

Along with these warning signs, the brake system service light on your car’s dashboard will illuminate if your on-board diagnostic system senses any problems. Take your vehicle in for a brake system inspection.

Summer is the time for road trips! Especially with this year’s COVID-19 restrictions interfering with air travel. A recent AAA article reports, “Car trips will reign supreme this summer, accounting for 97 percent of summer travel.” According to the article, AAA anticipates 683 million road trips this summer. While getting your car ready for a driving vacation is essential, after trip car care is important, too.

Earlier this season we discussed checks to prepare your car for Summer heat and road trips, but what should you do once you return home? Whether your road trip takes hours or days to complete, your car will probably experience more wear and stress than it normally does. Just like you, it is going to need some time and TLC to recover. This means taking some time for after road trip car care to get the vehicle ready for its normal routine. 

The following are five after road trip steps you can do to help your vehicle recover from a summer road trip.:

1. Clean the interior and exterior of your vehicle. Being in a vehicle for an extended period of time is a great way to accumulate trash from your favorite road trip snacks and fast food wrappers. The front of your vehicle will also become a sort of graveyard for a variety of unlucky insects. In addition to the bugs, depending on your destination, you could have a lot of dust, sand, and dirt sitting on every surface of your vehicle. Give your vehicle a thorough after road trip clean on the inside and outside before you head back to reality. 

2. Check your tires. Driving through numerous state lines and on different terrains will inevitably have an impact on your tires’ tread. Go ahead and do a thorough tread inspection and make sure your tire pressure is at the desired psi while you’re at it. If you notice that your tire pressure is decreasing unusually quickly, it may have a puncture. You can simply go to your trusted mechanic and see if it can be plugged or patched before committing to an entirely new tire. 

3. Top off your fluids. Add more windshield wiper fluid and coolant to your vehicle. This should be a very quick and easy task that can be performed in just a few minutes.

4. Change your oil. An extended drive puts more strain on your motor, especially if your vehicle was towing a trailer or carrying more luggage and passengers than usual. Oil changes are also a quick task, and should be performed consistently, to keep your vehicle in great condition.

5. Run a vehicle diagnostic report. Check your filter and engine health with a vehicle code scanner, also known as an OBD II scanner. This is a great way to catch a vehicle problem before it worsens and becomes costlier to fix.

Following these simple after road trip car care steps will go a long way toward keeping your vehicle in great condition, and ready for everyday use as well as your next road trip.

Small, but essential to the functioning of your internal combustion engine, is the humble spark plug. Its purpose is to transmit an electrical signal from the ignition to create a spark, which in turn ignites the air-fuel mixture inside the combustion chamber. Spark plugs are uniquely designed for the type of vehicle in which they will be used. During installation, the technician will set the designated spark plug gap that is appropriate for the vehicle.

In proper condition, spark plugs efficiently burn fuel, but like other vehicle components, they can go bad. They require routine inspection and maintenance to ensure optimal engine performance.  

According to AutoBlog.com, for most vehicles sold in the U.S. recommend spark plug replacement every 30,000 to 50,000 miles. They note that while some newer vehicles have advanced ignition systems that presumably make spark plug replacement unnecessary, there still can be times when a spark plug wears out or shows signs of failure.

It is important for your vehicle’s safety, performance, and reliability to pay attention to these signs that you may need new spark plugs:

1. Trouble Starting – Compromised spark plugs may be unable to provide enough spark to start the engine. If the vehicle does not start at all, the battery may be to blame, but intermittent problems may be due to faulty spark plugs.

2. Reduced Fuel Efficiency – Worn out spark plugs tend to increase a vehicle’s fuel consumption since they don’t effectively burn the fuel that goes into the engine. You will notice that you are filling up at the pump more frequently.

3. Poor Acceleration – If you notice a lack of responsiveness or inability to accelerate as your car normally does, the problem could be worn out spark plugs.

4. Engine Misfiring – While in most cases, engine misfiring is due to sensor malfunctioning, this problem could also be caused by a damaged spark plug. 

The CarTalk.com blog explains that the spark plug gap, we mentioned earlier, is an additional issue to watch for if you replace spark plugs yourself. They recommend always checking the gap measurement when installing spark plugs because a gap that is too small may not allow enough room for the spark to jump, and a gap that is too large may mean the spark can get blown out at high speeds.

If you are currently car shopping, and are not a mechanic, you may be a little confused by the overwhelming amount of options to consider. Drivetrain options can be especially perplexing when you hear “all-wheel drive” and “four-wheel drive” as options. All cars have four wheels, so why are these options different?

AWD and 4WD Compared

Both four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive systems are capable of transferring power to both the front and rear wheels of the vehicle. Generally speaking, the difference between the systems is that one uses all four wheels part of the time, and the other all four wheels full time. 

All-Wheel Drive (AWD) AWD vehicles are engineered to provide optimal traction, performing well on all types of roads and surfaces. These types of vehicles are great for rough road and off road driving, and also perform better in bad weather conditions.

Four-Wheel Drive (4WD) A four-wheel drive vehicle provides these performance benefits only when the 4WD is engaged. When the 4WD function is not activated, the vehicle operates as a two-wheel drive system. The 4WD can be used as needed, when driving off road, on snowy roads, or other poor traction situations. 

Which is Better?

While driving with the power of all four wheels engaged seems like a great advantage, there are some drawbacks. The primary disadvantage is the amount of fuel needed to power four-wheel drive operation. Since 4WD is unnecessary for most types of roads and driving, the additional fuel consumption is not needed. Having the option to switch to two-wheel drive will save drivers money.

Other Options

When comparing all types of drivetrains, 4WD and AWD vehicles tend to be more expensive to purchase, fill-up, and keep maintained than 2WD vehicles. This is due to extra components, including the transfer case and differentials, which make 4WD vehicles heavier and more complex.

Alternatively, front-wheel drive vehicles offer a good combination of affordability and fuel economy, since front-wheel drive systems are less complicated and less expensive to produce. In a front-wheel drive, the car’s weight lies directly over the driven wheels, improving acceleration. That weight distribution also provides decent traction on slippery roads, which is a significant improvement over rear-wheel-drive vehicles.