Keep Your Car on the Road with Preventative Maintenance

Preventative Maintenance 

Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” In other words, it is much better to prevent problems than to try to fix them later on. Though these words were spoken long before the invention of the modern automobile, this common saying holds a lot of truth when it comes to performing preventative maintenance on your car. Preventative maintenance is the most important thing you can do to keep your car on the road, and it can save you a lot of money on future repair bills. 

When it comes to preventative maintenance, you’ve probably heard conflicting information on what does and does not need to be done. There are also plenty of myths - like needing to change the oil every 3,000 miles. So how do you sort out fact from fiction? The answer is easier than you might think. Just check out your car’s owner’s manual. It will tell you everything you need to know about what the manufacturer recommends for your specific car in terms of preventative maintenance. Your manual will tell you:

• How often to change the oil
• When belts need to be replaced
• How often to change filters
• The exact maintenance that needs to be performed at various intervals, such as 50,000 miles, 100,000 miles, etc.

Reading your manual will also provide you with valuable information that will help you maximize your car’s performance and lifespan, such as what type of oil, coolant and gasoline to use. Using the right fluids ensures that your vehicle runs at its peak performance and prevents you from voiding the warranty or causing costly damage.

Basic Maintenance Every Car Needs

Though the exact recommended maintenance details vary among vehicles, there are certain things that you should be doing regardless of what you’re driving. For starters, check your fluids regularly. Your oil, power steering fluid, coolant, transmission fluid and even wiper fluid all need to be checked from time to time to make sure you aren’t running low. There are several other things you should also do to maintain your car, such as:

• Check and clean your battery terminals if needed
• Check the air pressure in your tires, and add air if necessary
• Replace air filters
• Replace your windshield wiper blades
• Change your spark plugs
• Have your tires rotated and balanced

All of these things are relatively simple, and most are fairly easy to do on your own. Or, if you would prefer trusting all of your vehicle’s preventative maintenance to a professional mechanic, these basic tasks are pretty affordable. Whether you choose to do the maintenance yourself or hire someone else to do it, keeping up with preventative maintenance can save you a lot of money by preventing major problems that require costly repairs. In addition, the first signs of issues can often be detected during routine maintenance, allowing them to be corrected before they become major.

Simply performing regular preventative maintenance is the most important step you can take the extend the life of your car. Though a lot of maintenance is simple and can be performed in your driveway or garage, you can could also choose to entrust your car to the pros. In doing so, you can be absolutely certain that all the correct maintenance is performed, and when you let a professional work on your car, you can rest assured knowing that he will detect and fix any potential problems.

When you bring your car to Tune Tech Automotive for preventative maintenance, you can rest assured knowing that your car is in good hands. Give us a call at 303-364-3391 to schedule an appointment with one of our highly-trained and ASE-certified mechanics today!

Brakes

Stay Safe - Maintain Your Brakes!

Brakes are the most important safety device on your car. If you’ve ever partially lost your brakes in the past, you’ll agree that it’s not something you want to experience again. Inspecting your brakes twice a year for wear and damage can protect you and your passengers. Additionally, it will also help save you money by catching any damage before it becomes too costly.

Brake System Component Issues

The master cylinder, the heart of the vehicles braking system, holds the brake fluid when it is not being delivered to the brakes through the brake lines. If brake fluid leaks because the master cylinder is worn or brake lines are plugged or broken, the fluid cannot be delivered and the brake pads will become ruined.

The brake fluid itself can become dirty or contaminated as it draws rust-causing moisture and picks up other debris, or it can break down from excess heat. Clean brake fluid is either clear or slightly yellow, while dirty brake fluid may be brown or even black. Old and dirty brake fluid can damage ABS brake systems internally.

The brake lines connect to the master cylinder through a combination valve, which combines a metering and proportioning valve. It regulates the pressure on the front and rear wheels to make sure both sets of brakes are applied simultaneously. A malfunctioning combination valve may cause the wheels to lock up.

Brake System Parts Wear Out Over Time

Brake pads and shoes can be made of ceramic, metal or organic materials, while the disc rotors and drums they press against are made of metal. Because the pads and shoes create friction to stop the car, they gradually wear down over time and may wear away completely, letting the metal of the calipers and cylinders they are attached to grind against the rotors and drums and damage them. Some pads have a metal strip attached that sounds a warning whistle when the pad becomes too worn, but this strip sounds only when the car is in motion and the brakes are not applied.

Make sure to have your mechanic routinely check your vehicle's brakes to maintain the safety of your vehicle.

Vehicle Suspension Information

What Does A Suspension System Do?

The suspension is a major system found in your vehicle. It plays a vital role in stopping, steering and stability. All of the components of the suspension system absorbs all the impact and helps you maintain control when you hit bumps, obstacles or potholes, ensuring the safety and comfort of passengers. It supports the weight of the vehicle and contents, helps maintain consistent tire contact with the road, and transfers the weight of the vehicle as you round corners and turn.

The whole idea of a suspension system is to allow the vehicle body to travel over irregular surfaces undisturbed. Surely today’s vehicle suspensions enable a much more comfortable ride compared to that of the original automobiles. This is due mostly to the enhanced technology and maintenance knowledge we have today.

Suspension System Components

There are many parts to a suspension system, the important ones to the function of your vehicle being joints and pivot points. These allow a vehicle’s wheels to move up and over obstacles and to turn as you steer. As you cross over a bump or dip into a pothole, the suspension system moves in many places to accommodate these changes, resulting in a much smoother ride.

Suspension components wear out over time with prolonged use. Simply put, when they become worn out, the suspension elements don’t fit together as well as they should. This results in poor handling of the vehicle and the driver may even hear some odd noises coming from the suspension underneath the car. All of the components of your suspension system work together, so one part affects the function and quality of all the others. Having a loose joint , for example, can cause other suspension parts to wear out faster than they normally would.

Maintain Your Vehicle's Suspension

One of the suspension’s main functions is to maximize friction between the tires and the road surface. This contact between the road and tires is what affects a car’s ability to steer, brake and accelerate. A result of worn out suspension parts is uneven wear on the tires. The contact surface of new tires can actually be totally worn off in a couple of months due to poor suspension maintenance or unnoticed/neglected damage.

A trusted mechanic will be your best asset to ensure the function and safety of your suspension system. They will easily identify signs of damage or wear. Repairs can restore the correct handling to your vehicle and ensure your safety, as well.

It’s important to address small problems as quickly as possible, to avoid what could become a major and costly repair later. Remember, each component of the suspension’s structure makes up a much bigger and important system that is vital to your vehicle’s handling and safety. Keeping up with routine maintenance on your vehicle’s suspension system will help keep it driving as it should.

Oil Change Information

Oil Change FAQ

My shop, Tune Tech Automotive in Aurora, has been in business since 1995. We are a family owned and operated automotive service center that provides repair, tune ups, and belt and hose replacement, to major engine repair and transmission replacement. The technicians are ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certified and are equipped to handle all major and minor repairs on domestic as well as foreign vehicles. Tune Tech is a certified NAPA AutoCare Center. Since opening my business in 1995 I have answered many questions about automotive repair, and some of the most commonly asked questions are in regards to oil changes.

Why Change My Car's Oil?

I was asked about why it’s important to change your car’s oil. As your engine runs the oil collects contaminants, that get absorbed by the oil, so it loses it’s ability to lubricate. Oil is the essential lubricant for your car’s engine, and it lets metal work against metal. Oil picks up not only the dirt, but small metal particles and and other impurities from the engine and circulates them to the oil filter so they don’t damage your engine. Contaminants like these can interfere with the regular workings of your engine because it becomes thick and abrasive over time.

What Does Oil Do?

Oil doesn’t just help filter out dirt and contaminants. It also acts as a coolant for the engine. It lowers the friction between the metal parts in your engine. Your engine also moves oil that’s sat in the oil pan, allowing it to cool off. Sometimes vehicles also move oil through a tube in the radiator where it’s cooled off even more efficiently. Without oil, a car’s engine could seize, causing costly repairs for the owner. I can’t stress how important this simple component is to the life and quality of your vehicle. It’s relatively inexpensive, as well.

How Often Should I Change The Oil In My Vehicle?

It’s best to change your vehicle’s oil according to the manufacturer’s guidelines set forth in your owner’s manual, and that those intervals may vary. If you don’t have a owners manual, it depends on the driving conditions, the type of oil you are using, and the vehicle you are driving. If you are using a conventional oil I would recommend 3000 miles. If you are using a full synthetic oil I would recommend changing the oil every 5000 miles.

Do I Have To Replace The Filter?

Another important aspect of changing the oil in a car is the oil filter. It filters out all the solid contaminants that are in the oil that you don’t want circulating through the engine causing engine damage. Over time the filter builds up all the contaminants, so it’s important to be sure to change it every time the oil is switched out.

What Happens To Used Oil?

I frequently field the question of what Tune Tech Automotive does with all the used motor oil we accumulate while working on hundreds of local customers’ vehicles each week. We collect the motor oil, and are able to store it and recycle it to heat the shop. We use an EPA approved clean burning furnace that works very well!

More information about oil changes and auto repair can be found on this page of Tune Tech Automotive’s website.