Posts Tagged ‘auto maintenance’

Tips For Automatic Car Transmission Maintenance

Friday, October 22nd, 2010

If you have a car which has an automatic transmission, then you’ll know how convenient that can be. The automatic transmission, however, is one of the most complicated components of your car. Therefore it may be prone to damage if you do not take good care of it. It will take a substantial amount of money to have your automatic car transmission repaired so it is advisable to maintain your automatic transmission properly. It is important that you read the whole article to give you an idea on how to properly maintain your car transmission.

Number one thing to remember is to check where you park your car. Observe if there are any leaks or spills on the ground overnight. It does not really matter if the leak came from your transmission or not, any puddle you discover can actually be the start of damage. Once you see small puddles underneath the car you should check everything that contains liquid in the car. It is important that you get your car to the mechanic as soon as possible.

Then, make sure that you check the transmission fluid level regularly. Some car models can give you quite a challenge when you want to check the transmission fluid level. So make sure that you keep the original owner’s manual so that you will have something to refer too. Monitor your transmission fluid because if it drains in a quick manner then there is a leak somewhere. Make it a point to change your transmission fluid regularly too.

And last but not the least, make sure that you always utilize the same type of transmission fluid. Read the manual of the car for the recommended type of transmission fluid for your car. Keep in mind that low transmission fluid can be damaging to your car. Keep a can or two in your trunk always.

Those are the steps you can take to maintain your automatic transmission. Preventive maintenance is always better than repairing so make sure that you do your part in having your car maintained.

If you want a high performing engine see us at Amsoil dealers. We also use high performing racing lubricants with our Amsoil synthetic racing oil service.

Tips For Maintaining Your Car Engine

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

Debates have been ranging whether engine wash is safe for cars. Your car’s engine also gets dirty, with all of the chemicals being used on the engine. The accumulation of gas, grease and oil is something that you should be aware of as a car owner. Not only will you help improve engine performance, you can also ensure your safety. This page is a good reference for your car engine wash task.

The right engine wash product is the number one consideration. his product is important in maintaining the engine properly. Some products are made to be sprayed on and then left while they take care of the grease and grime. After leaving it on for the recommended time then you can wash it away with water. Make sure that you scrape and clean your air filter and the rest of the important parts. You will help improve your engine performance and those parts that gets dirty commonly.

Next make sure that you know where your car’s electrical components are located. You will save time and money when you know where these are located since you will not accidentally damage them. Spraying and washing the exposed wires and circuits is a disaster. Some components may be sensitive, for example your car alarm system or alternator. You have to avoid spraying these things. Make sure that you cover these parts when spraying your car.

It is also important that you thoroughly dry the engine first before using it. You may spray accidentally an electrical component once in a while. Make sure that you let dry the sprayed on area immediately. Electrical components are usually damaged only when left wet for long. You can use a blow dryer when you want to dry a part immediately.

You have just read some of the things that you can heed for keeping your car engine clean. It is important that you heed the instructions in the car engine wash that you buy. You will surely improve the engine performance of your car and lengthen its life as well.

If you want a high performing engine see us at Amsoil dealers. We also use high performing racing lubricants with our Amsoil synthetic racing oil service.

How To Choose A Second Hand Car

Sunday, October 17th, 2010

Second to investing in a house it is the purchase of vehicles that people consider their next biggest investment. Our age today dictates the necessity of having your own transportation. You will have so little time to spare when juggling time for work, for home and even social responsibilities. Your commute time will partially be in control when you have your own vehicle. Here are some tips when you are on the look-out for your second hand car.

Make sure that you first ask the people you trust if they know some people who are selling their cars. Of course, it is ideal if you know the seller personally or someone you trust knows the person selling the car. Now, for those instances that you do not know the seller then make sure you do some character checks. You can never be too careful these days so make sure that you have done your assignment.

It is also advisable that you have your trusted auto mechanic look at the car before you buy it. For first time car owners you can ask a friend’s trusted mechanic to do it for you. You will be more sure of the quality of the car you are purchasing when you have a professional mechanic’s go ahead to buy. They will be able to see all the things that the seller maybe trying to hide from you. A professional mechanic is able to see things that normal people like us may miss concerning the car.

Next, always refer to the budget that you have. Make sure that you get your money’s worth when buying a second hand car so that you will not be throwing away your money. Always stick to your budget and you can also haggle so that you can get a better price. Most people selling their cars are quite open to haggling because they are eager to sell their cars as soon as possible.

These are the things that you can apply when looking for a second hand car to buy. Remember that you can find quality second hand cars if you really know how to look for them.

So when looking for any Amsoil product make sure to call us at our Amsoil dealer shop. We also a full line of products for motorcycles as well with our Synthetic motorcycle oil.

How To Drain Your Car Radiator

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

Cars all have the need for a cooling system to make sure the engine does not over heat. It is also important that your car’s radiator and cooling system is kept clean to do its job. You should remove the deposits that accumulate in your radiator so that there will be no clogs. A quick, inexpensive radiator flush can help maintain your system. In this article, we will be discussing some step by step procedure to help you in flushing your radiator.

Step one is to get all the things that you need for the task. It is important that you have everything including the coolant because driving your car to the store without the coolant is a huge risk. These are the things that you will be needing: a wrench, a cloth rag, a radiator flush solution, a funnel and a used coolant receptacle. As soon as you have these materials, you can start draining the coolant. Make sure that the engine is completely cold before you do so. Hot coolant can be very painful.

Once you have the coolant drained then replace the radiator plug and pour in the radiator flush solution. This is to help remove all the deposits and clean the inside of your radiator. Fill it to the top with water, and then replace the radiator cap. Now you need to start the car to raise the engine’s temperature to it’s running temperature. Running it for ten minutes is good enough. As soon as the engine has cooled down go ahead and drain the radiator.

Afterwards, replace the radiator fluid and then the coolant. Always double check if the plugs are all replaced in their proper places. It is important that you top them up only to the required level only. When you add so much this will affect the performance of the car.

You have just read the simple steps on how to deal with radiator flushing. It is advised that you do this regularly to keep the cooling system clean. This will ensure that your car will be running for a long time.

If you want a trustworthy auto shop to fix your car, see us at our auto repair San Diego shop. We do a long line of work including our smog test service.

Determining When To Change Your Synthetic Oil

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

Synthetic oil is an alternative engine formula that increases the fuel economy of cars. It is able to withstand extreme temperatures and generally reduces car troubles. The regular engine oils cannot compare to this. Even if you are using synthetic oil you still have to perform change oil on your car regularly. This article will provide you some insights to knowing when to change your synthetic oil.

Number one thing to determine is how often do you use your car. Synthetic oil change generally depends on your engine usage. How you take care of your car is also another factor. This provides stress to the engine, and because of that, changing the oil will become more frequent. There is a rule though that once you hit 5000 to 7000 miles you have to change your oil. Most car owners are advised to change oil every 6 months.

You can also rely on the device that tells you to change your oil. The main function of this oil sensor is to determine the quality of the oil. This also takes into consideration the mileage and the usage of the car. It is a computerized sensor that reminds car owners when to change oil. A warning sign will blink on your dashboard when you have to change oil.

And finally, you should also take into consideration the quality of the oil you used last. You should know that there are ratings for the quality of synthetic oils. When you use cheaper and lower quality synthetic oils then you also have to change oil frequently. It is important that you do this for your engine’s protection.

You have read some of the indicators when you need to change oil. Synthetic oil usage is excellent for your car but you also need to remember that you have to regularly have your car checked.

So when looking for any Amsoil product make sure to call us at our Amsoil dealer shop. We also a full line of products for motorcycles as well with our Amsoil synthetic motorcycle oil.

Tips To A Better Performing Car Electrical System

Friday, October 8th, 2010

A car is composed of different systems working in harmony to function correctly. The electrical system is one of those systems, and it includes the battery, the alternator and the starter. It is important for these three parts to function in proper order so that your cars performance will be in optimum shape. As you read this article, it will provide you with insights on how you’ll be able to achieve some basic troubleshooting steps for your car.

First we have the battery. The battery plays an important role in operating your car’s electrical accessories as well as storing the electrical power in your car. Maintenance of the battery is quite simple, you just have to make sure that the cells of the battery have enough distilled water on it. And always keep the battery clean to allow proper ventilation.

And then we have the alternator. The alternator produces the electricity which is used to maintain the battery storage charge. The alternator is also utilized in running the electrical system of your car, which includes the ignition and the engine control system. It produces an alternating current and then converts it to direct current to be utilized by the car efficiently. Good maintenance of the alternator is just making sure that the battery is working fine, and your alternator can last a long time.

And finally, we have the starter. The starter is only used up a few times per day to start the engine, but it is the part which uses the largest power and it is an integral part of your car’s operation. It is the part which helps the engine to start, by providing sufficient power for the combustion process to take effect on your engine. It relies only on the battery, so to maintain your starter you have to make sure that the battery is working fine. Starters usually lasts a long time, longer even the warranty of the car, you just have to make sure that the connections are properly connected and there is no grime and dirt to allow good ventilation.

So there you have the basic components of the electrical system of your car. It is important that you maintain the electrical system to make sure that it lasts for a long time. Always check these parts on a regular basis to make sure that your car will be able to run when you need it.

So if you need your car serviced right away see us at auto repair San Diego. Our services includes getting your car smogged with our smog check.

Types Of Engines Today

Thursday, October 7th, 2010

Make sure that you check what type of fuel your car engine needs which is recommended by the car manufacturer. Be sure that you always remember that there are various types of engine in the market today and they all require different respective fuels. This page is a great source of info regarding the different types of engines of cars.

First thing that we are going to learn about is the gasoline engine. A gasoline engine is an internal combustion engine which uses a spark plug in order to ignite the fuel. Compared to a diesel engine, it runs at higher speeds because it has more lightweight materials for the engine. It is a fact that gasoline fuel really burns up faster than diesel. The compression ratio of the gasoline engine is actually lower so it is a little bit inefficient when you compare it to diesel engine.

Next we have the diesel engine. A diesel engine makes use of air compression so that the engine will be able to start burning fuel. The diesel engine has the highest efficiency compared to any internal or external combustion engines because of its high compression ratio. Because of this high compression ratio, it allows increased engine efficiency. Cars that are used for off-road work have diesel engines that are very easy to water proof. Also, because only air is utilized to combust the fuel, there is no need for spark plugs which is hard to waterproof.

Third is the HEMI engine. You will discover that this engine’s combustion chamber has an internal combustion engine shaped into a hemispherical form. You may know HEMI engines since they are connected to the huge engines that consumes a lot of fuel. But nowadays, the HEMI engine has become more of a trademark of a powerful engine rather than a description of the combustion chamber.

So there you have three main types of engines available in the market today. Make sure that you think about the engine type of the car that you want to buy because fuel prices are spiraling up these days.

If you want more performance out of your car see us at our Amsoil dealer shop. We sell the top performing Amsoil products at our Amsoil synthetic motor oil San Diego service.

Synthetic Lubricants: The Secret For Improved Engine Performance

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

Short supplies as well as an ever increasing demand drive the prices of fuel up and the burden falls on car owners. Of course, with the economy as it is, car owners would want to be able to get the most out of their money when they are driving their car. One way to do this is to improve the engine’s performance with the use of a synthetic lubricant. Read on to know how synthetic lubricants will be able to improve engine performance.

Firstly, the synthetic lubricants cause a huge decline in the excess friction. Excessive friction is causes when the engine’s moving parts move past each other. The vehicle’s engines must burn extra fuel in order to overcome this friction, thus downgrading fuel economy. More power is brought by the engine since the synthetic lubricants already reversed the action of the friction, thus fuel directed to reversing the action of friction can be used for other tasks.

Synthetic lubricants do not break down easily when exposed to higher than normal temperatures. Some chemicals in conventional lubricants break down within the normal temperature range of standard engines, which can cause sludge and other deposits to form on the moving parts of the engine. These results in degraded performance of the engine which will decrease fuel economy and raise fuel consumption a bit more. Synthetic lubricants being resistant to high temperature help maintain the fuel economy of the vehicle.

Lastly, synthetic lubricants do not evaporate easily. This characteristic makes the lubricant stable and not producing added heat or friction and thus making the performance improve more. The performance and efficiency of the car’s performance and efficiency is lowered by these two: excess heat and friction. This in turn will improve fuel flow which will greatly increase fuel savings.

So those are some of the benefits of having synthetic lubricants on your engines.. Do all these, careful driving, good planning and proper car maintenance will greatly improve fuel economy. You can always go to your trusted mechanic for other insights in improving your engine performance.

If you want your car to run it’s best see us at Amsoil dealers. We provide lubricants that helps race cars excel when using our Amsoil synthetic racing oil service.

How To Have A Money-Saving Car

Friday, September 24th, 2010

Nowadays, we need to cope up with the economy by saving as much money as we can. If you own a car you would want it to be maintained so that it will last a long time without breaking down. There are lot of possible means to ensure that your car runs as smoothly as it can. In this article, we are going to learn some ways by which we can make your car’s engines perform better.

A dirty air cleaner is the chief obstacle to a smoothly running car. To test if the air filter is dirty or clogged, try to do a test run on the road after removing it. If there is an improvement on the car’s performance while running without the air filter, then the filter should be changed.

Cooling down the air coming on your engine is also another way to perk up the its performance. Compressing air will increase the temperature of your engine. It is better to have cool air in the cylinder because hot air will have lesser capacity to expand. Incoming air can be cooled with the use of an intercooler. An intercooler is a special radiator which the compressed air passes through to cool it off before it enters the cylinder on your engine.

And one last thing you can try is to make everything lighter. Parts that weigh less helps your engine perform better. Each time a piston changes direction, it uses up energy to stop the travel in one direction and start in another. If the piston is light, it will consume less energy. This will also contribute in more savings on fuel consumption and more savings on your expenses as well.

Take heed of these useful facts and you’ll discover that there are indeed a lot of means you can do to improve the performance of your car. Car manufacturers never cease to experiment and research over these variables to achieve optimum engine performance combined with maximum fuel efficiency .

Get the best for your car to keep it running smooth at our San Diego Amsoil dealer shop. We provide the full line of products at our synthetic motor oil shop.

Advice On How To Save Gas

Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

Everyone is feeling the economic crunch lately including the car owners that’s why most are trying to minimize their gas consumption. You need to make sure that you find ways to save on gas to lower down the cost of your travel expense. There are so many things that you can try if saving gas is your goal. This article will give you an idea on how to save on gas.

Number one thing that you can do is to coordinate your trips or errands. You do not need to be always going out to run for milk or any other errand that you can plan as a group errand. This technique will help you to save on gas. Be wise and practical and plan your errands and trips to the grocery and paying bills in one trip only.

Second, it is important that you have a well maintained car. Your car will use less gas and run best if the car is well tuned up. It is also important that you check your car tires. Wrong car tire pressures will make the car to guzzle more gas when traveling. Check everything regularly so that you can have a well maintained car that does not guzzle gas.

Next, be sure that you roll up your car windows when you are running at high speed. Rolled down windows can actually cause higher drag and lower your gas mileage. Experts have proven that you use more gas when you lower down a window when running at high speed. Using the air conditioner sparingly will also help. What you can do is to set the conditioner at the lowest setting just right to cool down the car.

These are the simple things that you can try for decreasing your gas consumption. These are very basic and simple tips for money savings on gas. Be sure to try them all soon. You will love the fact that you can save so much gas with these tips.

So if you need your car serviced right away see us at auto repair San Diego. Our services includes getting your car smogged with our smog check.