Express Car Care of Denver

"Denver's Best Auto Repair and Quick Lube"

Express Car Care Tech Question on Engine Failure

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Express Car Care Tech Question on Engine FailureExpress Car Care Tech Question: 

My name is Collins from Denver.  I had my engine go out and had to have it completely re-done at Express Car Care in Denver.  What could I have done to prevent this?

Express Car Care Tech Answer:

You’ve got to feel for Collins; an expensive major engine rebuild is pretty extreme.    It’s a tough situation for Denver auto owners to be in:  maybe you’re still making payments on your vehicle and nobody wants to buy it with a blown engine, so you really don’t have any choice but to pay the money to get it fixed.  This is why your auto manufacturer and Express Car Care have preventative maintenance schedules – to help you avoid major repairs.  Suppose you don’t change your timing belt on schedule and it breaks.  That can mean bent valves and a damaged cylinder head.

Maybe you’ve made the mistake of skipping over the service recommendation to replace your coolant and end up with catastrophic overheating.  It could be you’ve skipped a few too many oil changes and now sludge has built up in your engine to the point that expensive parts in your vehicle are being damaged.

The best way to prevent having to have your engine completely redone is to check your vehicle’s oil level every month and follow your auto manufacturer’s recommended service schedules.  And if you’re behind on any services, just ask your helpful Express Car Care tech to help you work out a plan to get you back on schedule.  We’re here to help you,  so give us a call @ 303-691-2760 or come in and see us.

Fuel Injector Cleaning At Express Car Care in Denver

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Fuel Injector CleaningSomething we hear quite frequently from Denver drivers is that their fuel efficiency is down and their vehicle just doesn’t have the pep that it had before.  When that happens, one of the things we look for is clogged fuel injectors.

The engine management computer tells your fuel injectors exactly when to squirt fuel into your engine.  It is vital that clean fuel injectors spray the right amount of gasoline or diesel fuel in an even, specific spray pattern.  A dirty or clogged injector can’t spray enough fuel and it comes out in an uneven, weak pattern.

When Denver drivers’ fuel injectors are dirty or clogged, the fuel just can’t burn as efficiently, which causes gas mileage to drop and your vehicles engine can’t produce as much power.

Fuel injectors just get dirty over time.  Gas and diesel fuel cause varnish and gum to build up in your fuel injectors, especially if you buy bargain gasoline.  If your fuel injectors get too dirty, they can be damaged and will need to be replaced – which can be pretty costly.

The good news is that a professional fuel injector cleaning at Express Car Care in Denver can get all of that gunk out of your injectors.  They’ll be able to spray the right amount of fuel, at exactly the right time, and in the right spray pattern.  Your gas mileage will be restored along with your engine performance.  Fuel injectors are cleaned as a part of a comprehensive fuel system cleaning service that includes the induction system ( throttle plates, intake manifold, idle air by-pass passages and – if applicable – the mass airflow sensor).

So ask your friendly service tech about a fuel injector cleaning at Express Car Care in Denver to get your engine running like new.  Give us a call @ 303-691-2760 or come in and see us.

What’s A Serpentine Belt?

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What's A Serpentine Belt?All of us in Denver have those days when we’ve got a bunch of errands to run all over town.  Suppose on your day off you need to get gas, pick up some groceries, swing by your local ATM and pick the kids up from school.  Now you could make four separate trips, but that would be a waste of time and money and totally inefficient.  Instead you get organized and hit the ATM first and get some gas next.  Then you go to your Denver supermarket and pick up the kids on your way home.  That’s a much better use of your time.

Now you may wonder what this has to do with a serpentine belt.  Well, back in the day, each of your engine’s accessories, such as the alternator and air conditioner, were powered by separate belts.  A vehicle might have five or six belts.  These days, vehicles have a single belt to run all the accessories.  It’s called the serpentine belt because it snakes around everything, efficiently connecting each accessory.  Just like bundling your errands.

A pulley attached to the engine’s crank provides the power to turn the serpentine belt.  The belt  provides the power for the power steering pump, which makes it easier to steer your vehicle.  Next comes the alternator which generates electricity to run the vehicle’s electrical system and charge the battery.  On to the air conditioning compressor.  This helps make the cold air to keep you comfortable all during the summer here in Denver.

On some vehicles – the water pump, radiator fan and the power brakes are also run by the serpentine belt.  Some even have two serpentine belts.  No matter how your engine is arranged, you won’t get very far without a serpentine belt.  Your auto manufacturer has a recommended interval for inspecting your belt and your Denver service adviser can inspect it for any damage or wear.

Finally, there is the belt tensioner.  Its job is to apply pressure on the belt to keep it tight.  Several years ago, manufacturers started making serpentine belts out of a new material.  It is much more durable, but it’s harder to tell when the belt needs to be replaced.  The old style belts would crack and chunks would fall off so you could easily see when you needed a new one.

On the new style belt, if the ribs wear too deep, it’s time to replace it.  Your service technician uses a simple gauge to tell when the belt is worn and you need a serpentine belt replacement.  A worn belt stresses your engine’s expensive accessories and causes them to wear out prematurely.  So change your serpentine belt and belt tensioner as recommended by your helpful Express Car Care tech and extend the life of your accessories and  prevent future breakdowns.

At Express Car Care in Denver we install quality NAPA replacements parts.  Give us a call @ 303-691-2760.  To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com

Disc Brake Maintenance at Express Car Care in Denver

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Disc Brake MaintenanceHello Denver auto owners.  Today, we’re talking about disc brakes.  Your vehicle weighs several thousand pounds and it takes a lot of force to bring it and your passengers to a safe stop – so everything needs to be in good working order.

The wheel hub keeps your wheel attached to the vehicle.  The brake disc – or rotor – is attached to the hub and spins with the wheel as you drive.  Your brake pads clamp onto the rotor to slow the wheel.  The brake caliper straddles the rotor and squeezes the rotor to slow it down.  The calipers contain brake pads which rub on the rotor when you step on the brakes.  The brake piston causes the calipers to squeeze and release as you use your brakes.

Your brake pads start to wear the first time you step on the brakes.  Eventually the pads are worn out and need to be replaced.  If you don’t replace brake pads when they’re worn out, the metal parts of the brake will grind against the rotor and carve grooves into the surface.

If a scored rotor isn’t too bad, your friendly Denver technician can put the rotor on a lathe and smooth it out.  If the grooves are too deep, or if the rotor is warped or cracked, you will need to replace it.  At Express Car Care, we have been servicing disc brakes for Denver auto owners for years and we can help you.

Servicing disc brakes at Express Car Care requires special attention to the mechanical sliding and mounting portions of the system.  Your Express Car Care service supplier knows the special needs.  Sometimes the brake pistons can stick and must be replaced.  Typically it’s cheaper to replace the entire caliper at Denver auto repair centers than to rebuild the piston.

So there you have it – a brief Express Car Care guide to how your disc brakes work.  Denver auto owners who replace their brake pads on time will not only keep their vehicle stopping safely, but could save money on unnecessary brake repair down the road.

Give us a call or come in and see us.

 

Car and Truck Suspension Problems in Denver?

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Suspension Problems In Denver?Suspension systems should continue to operate effectively for many years and thousands of miles, but eventually components do wear out.  How long it takes for them to wear out depends a lot on how you drive.

As you can imagine, if most of your driving is on smooth Colorado highways, your vehicles shock absorbers will last a lot longer than if you do most of your driving on bumpy Denver roads or hauling heavy loads.  In addition to just wearing out, upgraded shock suspension components can be damaged in an accident or just by a hard impact – like hitting a pothole, curb or a rock in the road.

Because the life span of shocks can vary so widely, your vehicle manufacturer recommends periodic inspections.  During a car inspection at Express Car Care, your service technician will check for worn, broken or missing suspension parts.  If the inspection reveals any problems, it’s important to have them  taken care of quickly.  When you do need to replace your shocks, it’s usually a good idea to replace all four at the same time.  This will give you even handling at all four corners of the vehicle.

If you have special road handling needs – like – improved cornering or towing and hauling requirements in Denver, your Express Car Care adviser can recommend an upgraded shock or strut that will meet your needs.

At Express Car Care, we have been providing quality auto repair in Denver for over ten years.  Ask manager Rob about transmission service and windshield wipers.  We are here to help with all your auto repair needs.  Give us a call @ 303-691-2760 or come in and see us.

Chilling In Denver With Winter Tires

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Chilling In Denver With Winter TiresThere is more to winter tires than Denver drivers may think.  Those days of clunky, tractor-like snow tires are long gone in Colorado.  They have been replaced by high-tech winter tires with special rubber compounds and advanced tread designs.

In Denver winter temperatures, the rubber in summer tires becomes hard and inflexible and they don’t grip the road as well.  In contrast, winter tires use special rubber compounds that are more pliable when the thermometer drops below 45 degrees, giving you better road contact; so even if you don’t get much snow, winter tires will really add to your cold weather safety in Denver.

Winter tires may also use a micro-pore rubber compound that increases surface area so they can bite into ice and packed snow on Denver roads and highways.

The tread on winter tires needs to clear out water, snow and slush as the tire turns so it’s ready to take another bite when it comes back in contact with the road.  But summer tires can actually be dangerous because they get packed with snow, making them very slick, so your vehicle will be hard to control.  Winter tires have a lot of thin slits in the tread which help the tire grab ice and packed snow, providing extra traction.

Many new vehicles in Denver come with all-season tires which are good for a wide range of Denver weather and road conditions, but don’t provide top performance in Colorado snow and ice.  For example, winter tires provide 25 to 50% more traction than all-season tires.  And all-season tires take up to 42% longer to stop than winter tires in slick conditions.  For all these reasons, the tire experts at Express Car Care in Denver recommend you put winter tires on all four wheels because it makes sense to have equal traction and handling at all four corners of your vehicle.  Uneven traction could result in loss of control for Denver motorists.

Your vehicle may be equipped with stability control, anti-lock brakes and traction control – all important safely systems for Colorado auto owners.  But in order to do their job you still need good traction.  Winter tires help you start, stop and corner when things get cold and slippery.

So when temperatures drop below 45 degrees, be sure you have a set of four winter tires for maximum performance in snow, ice and wet Denver roads.  Your Express Car Care professional can help you find the right winter tire for your vehicle and driving needs.  Give us a call @ 303-691-2760 or come in and see us.

Busted in Denver: The Maintenance Free Myth

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Busted in Denver: The Maintenance Free MythQuality surveys report fewer problems with new Denver cars than ever before.  So does that mean that modern vehicles have become maintenance free?  Not really.  Back when cars spent more time in Denver repair shops, drivers were more mindful of routine service.  Now, it is much easier to put it off.

Take tune-ups for example.  In the days of mechanical ignition system, an engine needed to be tuned-up every couple of years.  If your engine was out of tune, you knew it.  It ran poorly and got bad gas mileage driving on Colorado streets and highways.  Now, the ignition system is electronic and controlled by the engine management computer.  Spark plugs rarely get extremely dirty and will last for as much as a 100,000 miles.  So car tune-ups used to force you in for service and while you were there you just took care of whatever else was on the list.

So what is the benefit to keeping up with factory scheduled maintenance at Express Car Care?  Well, your vehicle will perform better and return better fuel economy.  Those benefits pay for the service as you go along.  the big plus is that major repairs – and the associated breakdowns – are prevented.  And these aren’t just repairs that are a long way off.  Modern engines are far more sophisticated and have many parts that are in critical need of lubrication.  Missing just one oil change at Express Car Care can allow oil sludge to start forming.  Sludge clogs small engine passages, robbing car parts of the lubrication they need.  An expensive failure could easily occur with two or three years.

Taking care of the little things at Express Car Care prevents big problems with your vehicle later.  No Denver motorist wants to be stranded by a breakdown.  Your car still needs to be taken care of – it’s just that some of those points of care have changed with automotive advancements.  The need for proper maintenance at Express Car Care in Denver did not go away.

Give us a call @ 303-691-2760

Keeping Brakes in Good Repair for Winter Driving

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Keeping Brakes in Good Repair for Winter DrivingDuring the winter months here in Denver, the weather is always changing and we never know just what conditions we will be driving in each day.  That is why it is so important to keep brakes in good repair for winter driving.  Existing brake problems can become worse during the winter, because we are driving in conditions that can cause traction to be reduced, like driving on snow and ice.  Bringing your vehicle in for a brake inspection so you can be sure your brakes will perform correctly when you need them to and keep you and your passengers safe is an excellent idea during the winter months.

The easiest way to keep your brakes in good repair is to have them and the rest of your vehicle maintained regularly.  It also helps to listen carefully to your car.  Brakes will squeak, click or grind when there is a problem, it’s just a matter of listening and discovering when the noises change.  As well as hearing squeaking or grinding noises when you apply the brakes, you might feel a pulse in your brake pedal, or a grabbing or pulling to one side or the other.  These are all indications that it might be time to stop in and see your auto repair shop and have the brakes inspected.

Having the brakes inspected goes a long way in preventing brake failure, but sometimes even with our best efforts, the brakes still fail.  If this happens to you, here are a few things to remember.

  • Don’t panic.  By remaining calm you are more likely to be able to steer your vehicle to a safe stop.
  • Turn on your turn signal and carefully try to get your vehicle to the right lane.  Watch your mirrors to avoid hitting another car.
  • When you reach the right lane, put on your hazard lights.  This will let other drivers know that you are having a problem and allow them to steer away from your car.
  • Take your foot off the gas pedal, downshift to a lower gear and allow the car to slow down.  You can downshift even if you don’t have a manual transmission, move the shifter from “Drive” or “D” to “Low” or “L”.
  • Steer your car onto the right shoulder of the road, and then shift your vehicle into neutral.  Gradually apply the hand brake (emergency brake) until the vehicle comes to a stop.  Pull the hand brake slowly to keep control over the vehicle.

At Express Car Care we have been providing quality brake services in Denver for over ten years.  So come in and see us or give us a call @ 303-691-2760.

 

What Customers Like About Us at Express Car Care in Denver

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What Customers Like About Us at Express Car CareAt Express Car Care in Denver, a big part of the service we provide for our customers is education.  We want you to feel confident with your service decisions and we’re always open to questions.  Even though we try to be proactive in our education, we sometimes get busy fixing cars and need a reminder.  Please, just ask.

We’ve  found our Denver customers like the service reminders.  This is especially true of our returning customers.  They’ve grown to trust that our recommendations are based on the vehicle manufacturer’s published maintenance schedules and that we’re not just pulling them out of the air.

We know that you live a busy life in Denver with a lot more to think about than wondering if it’s time to replace your PCV valve.  Part of our process when you come in to Express Car Care is checking the manufacturer’s schedule to make sure we don’t overlook an important service for your car or truck.

We hope you appreciate your courtesy inspection when you come into Express Car Care for service.  If we find something unexpected, it’s good for you to know and if we don’t find anything wrong,  than you still get a little peace of mind.

You know, customer satisfaction is very important to us at Express Car Care.  We want to run a friendly and professional Denver automotive service operation.  When we do, then you’ll keep coming back, as well as recommend us to your friends and family.

At Express Car Care in Denver, we install quality NAPA replacement parts.  Give us a call at 303-691-2760 and let us know how we can help you.  If you’d like to learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com

The Maintenance Mindset: Full-Service Oil Change

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The Maintenance MindsetPeople generally accept that many things in life require regular maintenance:  their teeth, clothes, homes, yards and so on, but Colorado motorists don’t often apply the same idea of maintenance to their vehicles.  If you never brush your teeth or go to the dentist, you’ll become painfully aware of your neglect when you get a big cavity.  Once the damage is done, we learn our critical lesson and start to take better care of things.

Unfortunately, Denver people too often learn the hard automotive lesson only after they bring their vehicle to Express Car Care on a tow truck.  So many times, a little routine maintenance would have prevented an expensive breakdown.

So how do Denver car owners get into the habit of taking care of their vehicles?  It’s so easy to forget it’s not like cutting the grass which you can see every time you pull in the driveway.

Here’s something that will help:  The key to good vehicle maintenance starts with the oil change.  Think about it – when you go in for a full-service oil change in Denver, your cheerful Express Car Care service adviser will check all your fluids.  If one of them is low, he can look for the reason why.  If your serpentine belt is worn, he’ll see it and let you know.  Corroded battery cable – they’ve got you covered.  And they’ll check to see if your manufacturer has recommended any critical services at your current mileage.

The oil change becomes kind of a focal point, a way to check in to see what needs to be done.

The fact is that vehicle inspection surveys consistently reveal that over 80% of vehicles have one or more needed repair or maintenance service that goes undone.  Vehicles are generally very reliable and can take a lot of abuse and neglect – but you can only press your luck for so long.

So when you come into Express Car Care for an oil change, you get a visual inspection of your car and a reminder for recommended services so you can avoid a total failure.  Also keep in mind that your service professional can help you work out a maintenance and repair plan for your vehicle, prioritizing and scheduling the work to make sure you and your family are safe and help you avoid expensive breakdowns.

In addition to full-service oil changes, at Express Car Care we also offer air conditioning service, transmission service and tire rotation.

Give us a call.  Express Car Care 303.691.2760

 

 

 

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