Tire Trouble Taking a Toll

By know you know the old trick of putting a penny in the treads of your tires to see if you can still see the top of Lincoln’s head.  If some of Abe’s head is covered, you more or less have healthy tires.  If not… Mr. Lincoln will be very disappointed in you.

 It’s not a perfect test, and you really need to check all around the tires to be sure there isn’t uneven wear, bulges, or cracks.  But, it’s a good place to start.

Here are some other things to consider:  How exposed to the elements are your tires?  Places with extreme swings in temperatures and harsh weather conditions can shorten the life of a tire.  So can having tires exposed to the sun and air for long periods of time.  If possible, park in a covered area during the day to extend life.

Also, be sure to pick fresh tires.  All tires are stamped with a production date so that you know how old the tires are before you buy them.  By law, tires have to be clearly marked… unfortunately, the law didn’t say anything about the markings being understandable.  You may see a code that says something like “LMLR5107.”  Focus on those last numbers and you’ll see that the tire was manufactured on the 51^st week of 2007.   “PQRR313” would suggest it was made in January of 2013.   

That date is pretty important because after 7 to 10 years, the rubber just isn’t as good as it used to be.  If your “new” tires are already 3 or 4 years old, you may not get the 6 years/60,000 miles you were expecting.

Proper inflation, stay away from rusty nails, see how Lincoln’s head is doing once in a while… and you should have safe tires for your nextjourney.

Beware: The Hurricane of Bad Cars

Not quite a year after Hurricane Sandy caused untold amounts of damage to the eastern seaboard, unsuspecting car buyers are finding themselves in formerly flooded cars.  

Many of these cars are being sold privately or at smaller used car lots, but the risk is real.  Once corrosion starts in a car, it begins to slowly break down vital parts of a car.  A car that may have been sitting in a few feet of salty sea water is an even greater risk.

Unfortunately, some unscrupulous people are shampooing the carpets, squirting some Febreze around, and passing these off as great used cars. 

AAA has offered up some clues to help you buy smart… and stay safe. 

First, trust your nose.  If you are picking up any kind of a mildew smell, or if it seems like they are overdoing the air fresheners, start asking questions. 

Take some extra time to look under the car and pay close attention to tight areas that are hard to clean.  If you are seeing mud trapped in there, or detect corrosion, you could have a formerly flooded car. 

Spend a few extra dollars for a CARFAX report.  Pay particular attention if the car spent anytime in the northern Atlantic states in the past 12 months.

Lastly, your own personal mechanic is your best friend in these kinds of situations.  They know exactly what to look for and can advise you accordingly.

It’s important to know that selling flood damaged cars without disclosing that information is highly illegal.

Just keep in mind there were hundreds of thousands of cars that sat soaking in the flood waters last year, and some are making their ways to private sellers and tiny dealerships.  Be extra vigilant.

Any questions?  Just ask our trained mechanics here at US Automotive. 

DIY Auto Air Conditioning Repair

A car that just will not cool down makes for a frustrating ride to work in August.  When you are getting warm air coming from the vents, the go-to solution is often a “recharge” of the magic refrigerant.  And, barring any other issues with the A/C, that can do the trick.

Enter a new product that is appearing on shelves:  A simple can with a gauge that promises to have your air conditioning blowing cool air again in just 30 minutes.  Does it work?  According to most reviews, the answer is a resounding…

Sometimes.

If it truly is low levels of refrigerant, the tried and true “recharge” will do the trick.  But, it begs the question:  why was it low in the first place?  As a car gets older, the pressure levels will drop, but a drop in pressure could also indicate a leak.  Any recharge (DIY or otherwise), will eventually go down again and you’re back in the same boat.

While both professional mechanics and do-it-yourselfers have given these products favorable ratings, others do have some reasonable concerns.  Your air conditioning system has many pieces, parts, and hoses that can fail.  Some mechanics have expressed concern that if the pressure is too low or too high, you could invite other problems.  Others have noted that the product in these cans is not professional grade and could compromise other parts of the system.

All in all, if you have an old car and the expense of replacing a compressor in an A/C system doesn’t make sense anymore, you could skate by with a recharge from a professional or by using one of these off the shelf products.

But, as with anything… if something isn’t doing what you think it needs to be doing, or the problem keeps repeating itself, it’s time to visit a pro.

Stay cool!

Little Pieces & Parts of Your Car that are Saving Your life & Money!

What can your car learn from an aluminum can?  Quite a bit, it seems.  While it doesn’t sound like that can provide much safety, the people that make soda cans and aluminum foil are getting into the car business.

Here’s why:  Extra weight in your car means extra time to stop.  Extra time to stop means extra work for your brakes.  Extra work for your brakes means they wear out, and that’s where your safety comes in.

The trick is to create a car that is both lightweight, and also safe.  Aluminum manufacturers are teaming up with car manufacturers and they are finding out that people are willing to pay a little more money for a car that will get better gas mileage.  The heavy steel is being replaced by lightweight aluminum, while still offering great safety. It also has an impact on your stopping distance.  A lighter car, less effort to stop. 

Always be aware of your stopping distance, and if it seems like it’s taking you longer to bring your car to a complete stop, that’s the time to talk to a mechanic.  It takes about 175 feet to bring a car to a stop when it’s going 50 miles an hour.  That’s about 13 car lengths.  If it’s taking your longer than that, it’s time to get them checked… because even the strongest car (or aluminum can) can withstand only so much.

Cooling the Oven in Your Car

You’ve probably seen the Internet picture of somebody baking cookies in the heat of their closed car.  It can certainly get hot in your car...not 350 degrees hot, though. Those cookies took hours and hours to cook! 

Here are some ways to keep your car from feeling like a blast furnace when you first get in. 

There are some simple tips that you probably know by now.  Park in the shade, point your car away from the sun, and leave a bit of the window open.  These things will help keep the temperature down.

When you turn the air on, look for the “recirculation” button.  It’s usually a symbol with an arrow going in a circle around itself.  When you have that on, it will “reuse” the air that is already in the car.  In other words, it will take the air that has already been cooled down, and cool it down even more.  Most air systems have that switched off by default, and that just means you are bringing more warm air in and making your system work to cool it down.

Here’s another easy thing you can do.  Keep a water bottle nearby, and spray down the steering wheel when you get in.  Just like when you sweat, the evaporation of the water on the steering wheel can help drop the temperature quickly and keep your hands on the wheel. 

As always, if yousmell something unusual coming from the vents, or you just aren’t cooling offlike you did last summer - - come visit US Automotive, or your own personalmechanic for help.  

Brake Problems for You are Problems for All

Getting a car to go is half of the equation of driving.  The other half is getting it to stop.  We recommend very strongly that you have the “stop” part in place well before you ever try the “go” part.

 

The problems with brake problems is they almost never suddenly happen.  Brakes are always getting progressively worse, and they’re never quite as good as they were on day one.

Little by little your brakes begin to wear down.  Stopping takes longer and longer, and next thing you know you’re sitting in the middle of the intersection.

Your brakes are equipped with a funny little feature:  an alarm that goes off when the brakes are wearing down.  It’s that squeal you hear, and it’s trying to tell you something.   We don’t recommend you wait for that alarm, however.  A good mechanic will make it a point to really check your brakes whenever you are getting an oil change. 

Finally, consider this odd occurrence recently out west.  A car going down a hill in California actually started a brush fire when a small piece of metal flaked off of its brakes and landed in the dry grass.  Firefighters say this is not all that unusual.  So, keep in mind that bad brakes cause bad problems for you, people around you, and Smokey Bear.