When It's Time for Change, You've Got To...

You bought the car with “lifetime” brake pads and you’re hearing a grinding noise coming from your wheels. First off, there’s no such thing as “lifetime” pads, but these are very expensive and tend to last longer than most people own the car. The “lifetime” guarantee doesn’t transfer ownership. If you hear this with “lifetime” pads, change them immediately.

But, what if you don’t have that guarantee and you hear the grind? We suggest changing them immediately. That grinding is the sound of the screws in the base of the pad hitting your rotors. You hear that noise and wait too long, a repair job that may have been $200 jumps to $600 or $800. Also, these are the brakes we are talking about. Don’t take these too lightly.

How about the rotors? If you heard the grind, the rotors are in trouble. You may be able to drive another 1,000 miles, but, you are playing with fire.

All cars are different. Rule of thumb for us, your car hits the 30,000 mile-mark, you should get the pads checked. It’s something we can do and will help you make sure you are safe and everyone riding in your car stays safe as well.

It's Routine for You, Why Not Your Car?

How dirty is your car right now? Not the inside, but the exterior. Are you a regular car washer or do you wait until you can barely see out the windows or the door is stuck with grime and slime?

If you are the later, you are actually hurting your car and taking years off of its life. The dirt, oil, debris, and salt used in winter for snow and ice can wreak havoc on your paint job. Keeping your car free of all that junk on a regular basis will keep it from eating away at the body panels. A monthly bath will keep your car’s exterior alive a little longer and save you cash on paint and body work! 

And, don’t forget the worst for your car’s exterior – bird droppings. You shouldn’t let it sit there until it rains. After 24 hours, acid starts to seep from it and damages your paint.  Wash the droppings off immediately.

Routine maintenance for your car and truck doesn’t only involve oil changes, tire rotations and valve replacement. Your car would love a monthly bath!

They Aren’t Just Pretty Lights!

There’s a reason car manufacturers put those pretty pictogram lights on the dashboard. Well, two reasons: one a diagram is easier to read and two, you will notice a bright picture and know something wrong.

The problem is this: who actually reads their Owner’s Manual? A light comes on and it looks like a deformed snake or an upside down beetle with a mustache and you think, “What the heck? My engine’s beetle is sad?” Or, there are so many different symbols, you have no idea what means what and the last car you drove had a symbol for engine that is different than this car…I could go on!

There are a few lights you need to be wary of right away when they light up – Oil Pressure, Check Engine, Brake System, ABS Fault and Air Bag Fault. We suggest contacting us right away when you see these lights turn on. If you don’t know what they are on your car, once you pull over, grab your Owner’s Manual and look.

While you might hit a pothole and the pesky warning light shuts off, it doesn’t mean the problem is fixed. That’s why we are here!

Why We Drive on the Right and the Brits (and others) drive on the Left

This was a discussion this weekend on Car Talk with Tom and Ray and, while some of the answers were pretty hilarious, we decided to do a little research of our own and come up with an answer for our blog readers. Luckily, “The Google” works great. Unfortunately, there is a lot of different information as to why cars in the U.S. drive on the right and in a quarter of the world, drive on the left. The invention of the automobile had nothing to do with it, according to most historical interpretations.

The original drivers, those on horses, rode on the left because it was easier to grab your sword from the scabbard on the left side with your right hand. Think about it for a second…you’re riding along, you need to quickly grab a sword to fend someone off, you grab with your right hand. It would be easier if everything was on the left. Plus, knights got on and off their horses from the left since their swords dangled from their left sides. It just made sense to ride (or drive) along that side as well.

This all changed with the invention of larger wagons used for hauling that had multiple horses. Since there were no driver’s seats, the driver sat on the left rear horse so he could use his right arm to guide the horses.  Since the driver also needed to make sure there was clearance for the wagon and any other traffic, the drivers moved over to the right. You didn’t want to have wheel repairs and strut issues if you had a wagon accident.

Here’s where it gets even more interesting. After the French Revolution, most countries switched because the aristocracy used to walk or travel only on the left, forcing the peasants to walk on the right. Since the rich didn’t want any more problems with the poor after that revolution, they began blending in with everyone on the right side. England, though, hating everything French, stayed with driving on the left and made it law in 1835.

If you want to learn more about these driving standards, and avoid auto accidents should you drive a car in another country, you can read more here.

Making it Easy to Get Your Car Serviced

We are all busy. We get it! Sometimes, it’s easier to do something via computer rather than calling, waiting on hold or leaving a message. That’s why we have made it very easy to schedule auto services for your car or truck with all four of our locations on-line. You might not have noticed it since you are so busy.

Front End Alignment - Just one of our many services!

Here’s the link to the Nixa shop.

Here’s the link to West Springfield.

Here’s the link to North Springfield.

Here’s the link to Ozark.

Remember, we are here for you for all repair and service needs as well as regular maintenance. This is where the online appointment forms come in handy! Oil changes, brakes, tires and wheels plus alignments and nearly every other auto service your car might need routinely. We are here to help you with all these issues that, if not taken care of quickly, can compound and cost you even more!

Don’t forget, we offer free Wi-Fi if you are waiting and free shuttle if you want us to take you back to work or home.