October is Fall Car Care Month: Let’s Keep Your Car on the Road

Since October is Fall Car Care Month I want to take a few minutes to help you become a little more car care aware. You can do this by taking a proactive approach to help you be aware about preventive maintenance that helps ensure safety, reliability and fewer unexpected repairs. 

Getting your vehicle ready for the colder months while the weather is still mild. Now is a good time to keep your car in good continuous running order. The following are the basics of keeping a good running vehicle. Here are the inspections we perform every time you come in for service.

• Check all fluids including oil. Transmission, power steering and brakes as well as antifreeze/coolant and windshield solvent
• Check all hoses and belts to make sure they are not brittle, cracked, frayed or showing signs of excessive wear
• Check the braking system, pads and rotors inspected at each oil change. 
• Check the battery and replace if necessary. 
• Inspection of the exhaust system for leaks, damage or if there is an unusual noise. Exhaust leaks can be dangerous and should be corrected immediately.
• Check the heating, air conditioning and ventilation system. Proper heating and cooling is critical for interior comfort and for safety reasons such as defrosting the windshield. 
• Inspection of the steering and suspension system including shock absorbers, struts, ball joints and tie rods.
• Check the tires, tire pressure and wear. Uneven wear is a sign that you need a wheel alignment. 
• Check the wipers and lighting so you can see and be seen. Especially important as the time changes in the fall and it’s dark by 6 pm.

This email as with most of the emails I send are to help you become aware that keeping up with the maintenance on your vehicle is important to keeping a better running car that in turn means keeping your car on the road longer. There is no reason with how well car’s have been made in the last 15 years that your car should be able to go 250,000 plus miles if taken care of properly. My 2011 Scion XB has 337,500 miles on it and runs 

great. 

We want your car to run smoothly for years