How do I know if I need my front end aligned?
Believe it or not, after 500 miles most new cars need an alignment. Wheel alignment is based on spring ride height. New springs settle at least 1/2 inch and knock the alignment out. After alignment is set it stays good for years until springs sag again. Hitting pot holes does not help. It is always good to have your alignment checked when you get new tires. You can usually haggle a free alignment check when purchasing your tires. Good luck getting a good alignment in this area unless I do it!
Do I ever need to get my rear wheels aligned?
Rear wheel alignment and/or 4 wheel alignment are very confusing. Almost all front wheel drive vehicles have rear and front alignment. More customers this year have asked me about 2 wheel alignments instead of 4 wheel alignments (I think because of the economy they are understandably trying to save money).
A front wheel drive vehicle does not really have a frame so a 4 wheel reading is needed to get geometry correct for a true center line. This is needed to prevent dog tracking and a nice straight steering wheel when driving. 4 wheel alignment is recommended on a rear wheel drive vehicle because the steering wheel can be crooked if the frame is not perfect. Remember no matter how much an alignment costs, it will be cost too much if it is not set correctly.
When should I get my tires rotated and is it really necessary?
If you like buying tires, do not rotate your tires. If you are like me and do not have much money, I rotate my tires every other oil change and check my air pressure every 90 days. The back tires move to the front and the front tires are crossed to the rear. The biggest killer of tires are low air first, lack of rotation second, then out of alignment third.
Is nitrogen better than regular air for my tires?
If you have nitrogen in your tires you only need to check your tires once a year. Nitrogen is 68% the air you breath. A nitrogen machine converts air to 97 to 99% nitrogen.The nitrogen molecules are larger than oxygen and take longer to leak out. I installed nitrogen in my bike tires and they take twice as long to go flat.
How do I know when I should change my brakes?
Have your brakes inspected when your tires are rotated. Always get a second opinion on a large estimate. It is hard to know when brakes go. If you drive like a lunatic you will get 10,000 out of your brakes but if you drive like granny you can get 70,000 miles out of your brakes.
How often should I get a coolant flush here in Florida?
Going by manufacturers maintenance recommendations is a good idea, but on coolant flushes they should be performed every 2 to 3 years in Florida in my opinion. Coolant not only raises boiling points but lubricates water pumps and prevents corrosion. Once contaminants and rust gets into coolant it acts as a sand blaster and creates a lot of damage to water pumps, freeze plugs, heater cores, and eventually cloggs radiators. ALSO do not add tap water because the metals in Florida water do even more harm, use distilled water.
Are synthetic motor oils better to use in my car?
Synthetic oil is good for morning start up. It coats your engine and prevents wear on start up. I recommend it if you are not good at changing your oil. I save the money and just change my oil on time.
How often should my fuel filters be replace?
In a perfect world you can go by manufacturers recommendation. But in the real world there is some horrible gas to be had and it will clog your filter. Once my wife called and said my Explorer was slowing down. I had checked everything and found the fuel filter clogged after 8000 miles. Once a fuel filter clogs it puts tremendous strain on you electric fuel pump in the gas tank. It makes it overheat and could cost any where between $350 to $700 depending on the vehicle. So personally I like to change them around 10,000 miles because the alternative of replacing a fuel pump is so costly.
Want to hear a good joke? Some newer vehicles have self cleaning fuel filters (HA HA) where does the dirt go? Thats almost as bad as some newer vehicles that do not have dip sticks for their transmissions.
How frequently should my oil be changed?
On oil changes the biggest thing is to DO them with the exact weight the manufacturer recommends. You need to trust your shop because most quick lubes do not care and will install what ever oil is cheap. Several times I have seen the incorrect oil weight mess up variable cam timing on newer vehicles and cause a check engine light.
What should I do when the "Inspect Engine" or "Check Engine" light comes on?
I could write a best seller book about check engine lights. Did you know a 99 Cadillac has 54 moduals (computers). There are 2 in each of the 4 doors for window motor ,door lock, ect. The 1st rule is to at least find out what the code is. It may not be serious but if another code shows up you will never know. You can buy a cheap code reader to keep track of the code until you can budget to get it fixed. You might have a transmission with a sticky selenoid that at times turns a check engine light on. With the code reader you can clear it on that 200,000 mile car, but eventually that transmission will let you down.
When should the air filter on my car be replaced?
On air filters you can go by manufacturer's recommendation unless you are in the baja rally race and kicking up sand. Air filters are larger now and last a long time and really need to be inspected. If you can see light through them they are still good. NEVER use an air gun to clean air filter because you will damage the element in the filter and allow dirt to enter the engine.
If your filter is very dirty and you plan to get one in the next week just drop it flat on the ground and watch a pile of dirt fall off. A dirty air filter will kill your gas mileage.
|
