Long Island Car Detailers At Their Best!

April 12, 2008

Regular Maintenance On Your Car Keeps It In Good Running Condition

Filed under: Automotive Repair — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 12:23 pm

Your car, your beauty, your baby needs check ups regularly to stay in tip top running condition. Most car repairs are needed because of neglect from the vehicles operator or owner. If proper maintenance is performed, cars will usually stay running smoothly for a long time. I know you’ve heard car owners say; “It never needed anything more than an oil change”. Of course he doesn’t mention the fact the hoses and belts were checked once a month or the oil was changed every 3,000 miles. He doesn’t mention all the little routine regular maintenance he performed religiously. Maybe he assumes everyone treats their cars that way or maybe he wants you to ask him about his routine maintenance checks on the vehicle to keep it in such good shape.

Regular car maintenance is important to maintain the running condition of your vehicle and to prevent untimely car repairs and break downs on the side of the road. If you live in places like Minnesota you’ll want to do regular maintenance on your car. Cold weather is hard on the engine of a vehicle so you’ll want to make sure your car is in good running condition. Plus being stuck on the side of the road in freezing cold is tough on the human body too.

Most of the import and domestic automobile manufacturers recommend their vehicles receive a lube, oil & filter change and or inspection every 3,000 miles, such as BMW, Audi, Toyota, just to name a few. At 3,000 miles they also recommend a chassis lube, air filter inspection, have all the vehicles fluids checked, hoses and belts inspected and tire pressures checked.

At 6,000 they’ll recommend another lube, oil and filter change and or inspection, the tires rotated, brakes inspected, have an inspection done on the fuel system, all vehicle fluids checked, belts and hoses inspected, and the tire pressures checked. At 15,000 miles they recommend to have the air filter, lube oil and filter changed, plus a 4-wheel alignment performed. At 18,000 they recommend an engine oil system flush. At 30,000 they recommend air and fuel filter change, injector cleaning and throttle body service, rotate and balance the tires, a power steering flush, automatic transmission flush, radiator system flush, and evaporator system flush.

All quality expert mechanics will recommend that you have a maintenance schedule written down and stick to it religiously. It’s also good to keep this kind of record in case you ever sell the car, you could even get more for it by letting the buyer know exactly the services, which have been performed on the car whether you do the actual work yourself or pay a good mechanic to do it for you. All these inspections are recommended in order to prevent damage to your engine and other parts of your car, which if not done could lead to costly repairs. If you have a quality mechanic you use all the time for the maintenance and repairs of your car, he’ll help you keep up with the scheduled maintenance by reminding you when something is coming up. He’ll even record the service, so you’ll have record of it later. So, keep up the maintenance on your car regularly and you’ll have a car to last you for a very long time.

April 11, 2008

Purchasing Tires Online - What To Check For

Filed under: Tires and Rims — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 2:42 pm

There are a variety of tires to choose from for your vehicle. Of course, the best tires to purchase would be the ones that the vehicle manufacturer or dealer suggests. Those are usually the ones that are suited for your vehicle. If you don’t want to purchase them at a brick and mortar store, an alternative is to purchase your tires online.

Your Checklist

Prior to making an investment for your vehicle online, there are some things you should check first:

You should have knowledge of the tires that you need to purchase. Do a search online and research for further information. Check the manufacturer’s website. They should have plenty of information on the tire that you’re looking for.

You will need to know what the parameters are. That would include how wide the tire is, ratio, the diameter of the wheel, speed rating, how much pressure to put in the tires, tread and traction information. Your purchase should be based on safety more than style.

Re-manufactured Tires?

Even though you can save money with re-manufactured tires, it’s not always the best choice. They will not last long on your vehicle.

You’ll want to compare prices with the online stores versus the brick and mortar stores. See where you would get the best value. Find out about warranties and money back guarantees.

Take The Weather In Consideration

As far as weather is concerned, if you live in an area where it rains most of the time or snows, you may want to consider purchasing special tires to navigate the weather conditions. Make sure that they are durable enough to withstand the roads during inclement weather.

If you purchase vehicles that transport passengers, make sure you get the right ones. If you’re driving on metropolitan roadways, you may want to consider getting tubeless tires.

Prior to ordering online, find out what their policies are regarding shipping and handling. Some online retailers may have a special where they offer free shipping. You should also inquire about who will take care of the mounting and balancing. Most of this depends on the individual online retailer as to how this is handled.

Balancing

When you do know who’s going to do the mounting and balancing, make sure they are licensed to do the work. Inquire with the mechanic about wear and tear and rotation schedules.

When it’s time for the tires to be replaced, you should do it at least two at a time. It’s better if all four were replaced together, but if you have limited funds, at least have two of them done at the same time. When you get them replaced, do the front wheels first. Later on, you can replace the back wheels. It’s not advantageous to replace one front and one back wheel.

Make sure you are informed when it comes to purchasing tires online. If you keep your tires maintained and replaced on schedule, you won’t have any problems with the vehicle. Most of all be a savvy and smart consumer. Don’t allow dealers to sell you the highest priced set available just because they can.

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