Stay informed on important car and truck tips

Dangers Of Driving With Little To No Oil

 

You know that oil is important for your car and that you need to get it changed regularly, but just how bad is it to drive around with a low oil level? The truth is that sufficient, clean oil is vital to your car’s engine.

Without enough oil, your auto’s engine would seize up and stop functioning. Motor oil is responsible for making your car run as smoothly as possible. Often referred to as the “lifeblood” of your engine, motor oil performs the following critical functions for your car.

  • Lubricates moving engine parts. This reduces the chance of friction, which can damage your engine.
  • Maintains engine power.
  • Prevents and removes harmful deposits in your engine. This results in better engine performance and fuel efficiency.
  • Cools those engine parts not cooled by radiator coolant.
  • Provides protection from corrosion.

How Often Should You Have Your Car’s Oil Changed?

The friction and heat created by driving your car degrades the oil over time. For that reason, it’s important to have the engine oil and filter changed on a regular basis.

How often you have your oil changed will vary, depending on how much you drive and the recommendations of your vehicle manufacturer. Generally, it’s recommended that you have your car’s oil changed every 3,000 to 5,000 miles.

Signs of Auto Oil Problems

Before your car’s oil engine light comes on, you may see telltale signs of oil problems. Keep an eye out for oil on the ground where you’ve parked. If you see a greasy puddle of brown liquid, that means you have an oil leak.

Other warning signs are knocking or rapping noises coming from your engine when you drive. That could indicate that the engine isn’t getting enough oil.

To protect your car’s engine and for your safety, it’s important to avoid driving with a low oil level. Doing so compromises your car in many ways. To preserve your car and keep it running at its best, change your oil yourself, or have the car professionally serviced

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To eat in your car or not to eat in your car?

We utilize our cars to get to work, to school, etc., so it only makes sense that from time to time we may eat in our car. Some food options are more challenging than others. Whether it be hamburgers, tacos, or sub sandwiches there is an art to mastering eating while driving.

For safety reasons, eating in your car or truck should be a last resort. Taking your eyes off the road to spread the perfect amount of Grey Poupon onto your sandwich is distracting and can lead to needing your license and registration handy.

If you do absolutely need to eat in your car, which food options are ideal? Making a mess all over your vehicle’s interior or your clothes is counter productive. No one wants to be covered in barbecue sauce when they reach their destination.

Here are some of the most convenient foods to eat in your car or truck:

  1. Candy, energy, and granola bars
  2. French fries
  3. Chips, pretzels
  4. Doughnuts
  5. Hamburgers

Now here are the worst foods you can eat in your vehicle:

  1. Salads
  2. Nachos
  3. Muffins
  4. Pizza
  5. Burrito

How about you? What is your go-to food choice while in the car?

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Six steps for a “greener” vehicle

Don't drive angry

It doesn’t matter if the vehicle you’re driving is new or old, big or small. There are preventive maintenance steps every vehicle owner can take to make sure their car is as “green” or environmentally friendly as possible.

By following a few simple preventive maintenance steps, you can help protect the environment by improving gas mileage, which in turn saves money at the pump.

  1. Keep your car properly tuned for optimum performance

    A properly maintained vehicle can improve its efficiency, reduce emissions and save you money. Regular engine performance maintenance will help you burn less gas, pollute less, and prevent car trouble down the line. Improve gas mileage by 4% on a proper tune-up and up to 40% when fixing a serious maintenance problem such as a faulty oxygen sensor.

  2. Don’t drive angry

    How you drive has a lot to do with fuel economy. Avoid sudden starts and stops and go the speed limit. Minimize unnecessary miles by combining errands in one trip. Drive wisely and minimize unnecessary miles by consolidating errands, getting good directions and avoiding excessive idling. Most cars lose fuel efficiency over 50 miles per hour (MPH) at a rate of about $0.24 per gallon for every 5 mph over 50. Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) can also reduce gas mileage – as much as 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent on city streets.

  3. Get the junk out of the trunk

    With the exception of emergency items such as a spare tire and a first-aid kit, get the junk out of your trunk. Extra items weigh the vehicle down and cause an increase in gas usage.

  4. Have spark plugs checked and replaced

    A vehicle can have four, six or eight spark plugs, which fire as many as three million times every 1,000 miles. This results in a lot of heat, electrical, and chemical erosion. A dirty spark plug also causes misfiring, which wastes fuel. Wasting fuel is expensive.

  5. Check tire pressure

    Proper tire pressure can improve gas mileage by 3.3 percent or 10 cents per gallon. Tires that are not properly inflated add rolling resistance that makes the engine work harder to move the vehicle. Remember, tires can lose pressure due to seasonal temperature changes. According to the Rubber Manufacturer’s Association, a tire can lose up to half of its inflation pressure and not appear to be flat. Optimal tire pressure for your vehicle is listed in the owner’s manual or on the car door sidewall.

  6. Stop topping off your fuel

    When filling up your car, remember to stop when the nozzle shuts off. Topping off the gas tank can release harmful vapors into the environment and waste money.  Your fuel tank needs some extra room to allow the gasoline to expand. Replacing your car’s fuel filter every two years (or 24,000 miles) and having your fuel injectors flushed our every 30,000 miles will not only have a cleaner, ‘greener’ car, but you will save money at the pump.

Give L & T Auto Repair a call at 269-858-3008 about keeping your car or truck green and save at the pump!

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Drive with windows open or A/C?

windows down or a/c

Is it more fuel efficient to drive with the windows rolled down, or with the air conditioner on?

  • Opening the windows increases drag, and slows the car down — so it needs more fuel to run.
  • Running the A/C puts an extra load on the engine — so it needs more fuel to run.

 

Check out the “Windows down vs A/C” results from Mythbusters

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My car won’t start!

car won't start

Your car doesn’t start! Now what? The good thing is when a vehicle does not start, there are only a handful of reasons why.

The battery is the most common cause if your car won’t start. Another more common cause is the battery cables not being tight or they are corroded. This is an easy thing to check just by wiggling them. If they move, then they are too loose. Also look for white or blue powdery buildup on the connections. This is an indication that the cables are corroded.

If your car will not turn over then there are several things to check. Step one, check your battery. Your battery can be load tested for free at a variety of auto parts stores and is quite reliable in determining the health of your battery. If you are unable to take your battery to get load tested, there are a few ways to check at home. Try using a volt-meter or multimeter to check the voltage of your battery. A fully charged standard car battery should have a minimum of 12.4 volts for it to be considered healthy.

The next most common cause of your car not starting is… the starter. Many times when the starter begins going out you will hear clicking noises from your engine compartment and sometimes it will take more than one try to get your car to start. If your battery is unhealthy it can cause these same symptoms as well so be sure to check your battery first.

Maybe your car turns over, but doesn’t start. This is where you will need the help of L & T Auto Repair to diagnose where the problem is. This could be a faulty sensor, poor fuel pressure, or a miscellaneous ignition problem.

Call us today 269-858-3008 and drive safely!

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Do you hear grinding noise when braking?

Stopping your vehicle is an important safety feature, don’t you think? What does it mean when you hit the brakes and you hear an awful grinding noise or shaking?

One of the most crucial parts on any vehicle are the brakes. While it’s important to handle any engine problems that come, it can be argued that brake problems are even more critical since they determine whether your car actually stops.

When you step on the brake pedal, the front wheel brakes have a bigger role in slowing down the vehicle than rear wheel brakes. The reason for this is that the weight of the car pushes forward when you apply the brakes.

When you hear an annoying sound such as grinding, rubbing, squealing, or metal scraping sound while driving and applying the brakes, then you may have a problem. Sometimes it might be nothing and the sound will go away on its own. But if the sound is consistent and does not go away or even gets worse, you likely have some type of brake issue. You should bring it in before you are unable to stop!

Possible reasons for brake noise:

  1. Worn brake pads
  2. Poor quality pads
  3. Worn shims
  4. Foreign debris
  5. Worn rotors
  6. No lubrication
  7. Faulty wheel bearings

Call us today 269-858-3008 and drive safely!

 

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Stay cool this summer

a/c recharge

A vehicle without cool a/c can be an uncomfortable ride. A properly working air conditioner keeps you and everyone else in the vehicle comfortable and cool all the way to your destination. Plus your kids and pets will thank you!

Your vehicle’s a/c system cools and removes moisture from the air inside of your vehicle using three main components: the compressor, the condenser and the evaporator.

The compressor, driven by the vehicle’s drive belt, pumps the refrigerant through the a/c system. Inside, the refrigerant is exposed to high and low pressure, forcing it to change states between gas and liquid in order to capture and then release heat. As a gas, the refrigerant passes through the evaporator, capturing heat. The refrigerant then moves through the air conditioning lines and into the condenser, where the refrigerant cools as heat is released outside of the passenger compartment, and the refrigerant returns to a liquid.

For the system to work optimally, the system must have the proper amount of refrigerant and be free of contaminants.

L & T Auto Repair visually inspects the air conditioning compressor drive belt, serpentine belt and all accessible components for cracks, leaks and damage. Then we check the operation of the air conditioning compressor. If no leaks or damage are found, we evacuate the refrigerant from the system, vacuum test and recharge the air conditioning system using the appropriate refrigerant according to your vehicle manufacturer’s specification.

Call us today 269-858-3008 and drive nice and cool this summer!

 

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Driving in The Polar Vortex

Driving in the Polar Vortex

Well folks, we are right in the middle of the Polar Vortex, and in true Michigan fashion, we can’t be sure if next week is going to be a false spring or colder than the North Pole. Just to be on the safe side though, if you haven’t already giving your vehicle some special attention this winter, here are a few tips from L& T, the best local auto shop near you:

  1. Check your tire pressure– including your spare. To avoid that TPMS light going on in the midst of a trek out of town, or worse, sliding around an icy back road, get your tire pressure checked frequently. If salting the road just isn’t keeping you from slipping all over the place or getting stuck in the snow, consider bringing your vehicle in today to get new winter tires.
  2. Keep your gas tank ½ full– To avoid those gas lines from getting frozen over, keep that ½ tank full.
  3. Get your battery checked– Is the battery in your winter-worn Dodge nearing its third or fourth birthday? If it is, there’s never a better time to replace your truck battery. Unfortunately, batteries don’t always warn you when they’re about to fail, so to be on the safe side, get it checked and replaced before it becomes a problem.
  4. Make sure your brakes work well– There is nothing more terrifying than feeling your car spin out on the ice. If you have any doubts about the condition of your vehicle’s brakes, bring it in today and our mechanics will service them for you.
  5. Drive slowly and safely– Running late for work? Don’t risk your safety by going above the speed limit in the winter weather! Go the speed limit, stay safe, and drive with extra caution as Michigan weather fluctuates between sunny and freezing rain.
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