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Tips to Help You Car Last Longer
Buying a new car today can be really expensive. Therefore, getting the most out of the car you already have may be your best option. Here are some of the simple tips to help make that possible.
1) Check the manual to find out what type of gasoline is recommended then stick with that type of fuel. Filling your car with regular gas when it calls for premium it can cause your engine to start knocking and this will destroy the engine. Filling your car with premium gasoline when it calls for regular grade you not only waste gas and money but it can cause problems as well.
2) Don’t let your gas drop below a quarter-tank if the car has a fuel injection system. When turning corners you can interrupt the flow of fuel causing pump problems.
3) Replace your fuel filter every 10,000 mile or two year which ever comes later. Keeping the fuel clean helps to maintain long engine life.
4) Take it easy and drive smoothly. Flooring the gas to leap ahead and slamming on the breaks to a screeching halt will put wear and tear on the engine, transmission, suspension and brakes.
5) Let your car warm up before taking off and especially before turning on the air conditioner and heat or you will cause unnecessary engine wear.
6) Remember to keep the oil changed. Changing your oil every 3,000 miles or three months whichever comes first.
7) Switching to synthetic oil will offer superior protection for your car. Although it is more expensive it offers longer protection for your car some up to 12,000 miles.
Do not use oil additives. They don’t reduce the wear on your engine and they don’t boost performance.
9) Change your brake fluid every two years or 24,000 miles. If you have anti-lock brake system you should change it once a year.
10) Power steeling fluid should be changed every three years or 30,000 miles whichever comes first.
11) Keep an eye on the anti-freeze. It keeps your car running strong especially in cold weather. It also prevents rust and corrosion. For the best results use 50-50 anti-freeze-water mix using distill water not tap water. Change it every two years or 24,000 miles.
12) Replacing the battery six months before it is due to expire. A weak battery will cause alternator and starter problems.
13) Replace timing belts every 60,000 miles.
14) Turning your air conditioner, your heater and defroster on and running them for a few minutes every two weeks to keep them clog-free.
15) Protection for your car during extreme weather to prevent weather damage. Using a windshield cover to help protect the dashboard and prevent weather damage. Use silicone spray a couple times a year to help protect the weather stripping and rubber surfaces.
Auto Repair Help Troubleshooting – Using General Diagnostics
Welcome to a briefly informative auto repair troubleshooting article. There is extreme consumption of time and money, if you are not ready for the auto repair shop. The vehicles of today are extremely complex, it takes training and skill to properly diagnose your vehicle. There are ways of educating yourself for the dreaded auto repair visit; therefore automotive diagnostic troubleshooting is essential information to obtain. Make sure the information you are receiving is credible. In this article I will examine general diagnostic troubleshooting and some procedures that follow.
Diagnostic trouble shooting for auto repair takes equipment, education and pure skill. Knowing a honest and reliable auto technician can be a great commodity. Having some general diagnostic knowledge will keep you from being ripped off and may help you to stay out of the repair shop. The Internet is rich with information and can help you in diagnosing your vehicle for repair, which will save you time and money. Remember this does not make you qualified for auto repair, but will help you to briefly understand what is involved.
Does the vehicle run? Many times I will diagnose a no start on a vehicle and it is something simple like a loose battery cable. Make sure you check all battery power & ground connections. Are the battery cable ends loose? Do they look corroded? A majority of the time you will find your no start condition is the battery connections or the battery itself.
Does the vehicle crank OK, but not start? When diagnosing a crank and no start, you will need some basic tools.
- Fuel Pressure gauge
- Compression tester
- Spark tester
These tools will help you to establish the most important duties a vehicle must perform in order to start. Fuel pressure, Compression and spark are the essential basics for an internal combustion engine to operate. Consult a qualified auto repair technician or the manufacturer for proper testing procedures.
The automobile starts, then dies? Many times on the newer vehicles, this condition will cause a check engine light, but is subject to the problem. No starts can have tail tale signs from the vehicles computer and may be intermittent. Usually a no start problem is due to an ignition component failure (crankshaft sensor, camshaft sensor, ignition module etc.). When diagnosing a vehicle that starts and then dies, make sure you harness the proper equipment for the job. Warning, Improper diagnosing techniques may result in damage to your cars computer. Use caution when attempting any form of vehicle auto repair troubleshooting.
Does the vehicle run, but has no power and a check engine light? Again remember the basics; fuel pressure, compression and spark the essentials to make your auto operate. These three parameters must first be examined to diagnose a drive ability or “check engine light” problem. Scan your vehicles computer for the check engine indicator light, which will get you to the circuit failure. The rest depends on what you have learned and or how much knowledge your auto repair consultant has.
In this article I have briefly examined some basic auto repair troubleshooting.
Determining Which Auto Parts Your Car Needs
Fixing an automobile has always been a job that has typically been left for auto repair shops. But as more automobiles have become more user-friendly, and as more people have not been afraid to get underneath the hood of a car, fixing automobiles has been an issue that many people directly deal with on a regular basis. Even though many times individuals have trouble finding just what auto parts are needed to fix a car, the answer is usually right under their noses. It’s true, however, that there are probably more auto parts underneath the hood of your car than you’ll ever want to know about. Still, the fact remains that auto repairs are inevitable and finding just which auto parts that you need is more difficult than finding a needle in the haystack.
Process of Elimination
One way in which individuals usually go about finding which auto parts they need to repair within their car is by process of elimination. By figuring out which auto parts work by doing simple tests, one is able to figure out whether they need a fuel filter, new fuel pump, or whether the whole starter of the car is just going out. The basic process, though, is to start small, fixing the auto parts that are the smallest and least expensive, to tell whether or not the problem was there. This process of elimination is very useful for figuring out the types of auto parts that one generally needs to fix their cars and works wonders for a whole lot of problems.
Ask Around
Another method that people generally use to figure out which auto parts they need to replace is to ask others who have had the same problem. People who routinely work on cars may know the problem right off the bat, which would save some trouble replacing the auto parts that don’t need replacing. However, one downside to trusting someone else about your car is that they just may be wrong when telling you what auto parts they think needs replacing. On the other hand, there isn’t usually much of a choice when it comes to fixing your vehicle, and chances are that the parts you replace now will eventually have needed to be replaced anyway.
Getting Opinions and Estimates
There are plenty of people who decide to take their cars to automobile repair shops to have their cars fixed. But other decide to step into a repair shop just so that they’re able to get a professional opinion on the auto parts that they need to fix. Chances are that the service fee for giving an opinion about what needs to be changed won’t be very expensive, but this is a very good way to be sure of which auto parts need to be changed in order for the car to start working again!
Whatever method of finding out which auto parts need to be changed, though, chances are that you’ll gain greater experience by using the process of elimination method. Even though this is a method that does require some patience, chances are that not only will you be glad that you fixed the problem, but you’ll be proud that you found out which auto parts you needed all by yourself!