Express Car Care of Denver

"Denver's Best Auto Repair and Quick Lube"

Guide to Battery Maintenance

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In today’s Express Car Care auto care blog, we are focusing on battery maintenance.  Eventually your car battery will fail and you will need to replace it. In fact, 70% of batteries don’t even make it four years.  There are some things drivers can do, however, to make their battery last a little bit longer.

It’s all about the flow of electrical power.  When you start your vehicle, the battery uses power to get your engine cranking.  As your engine runs, your alternator generates electricity to run all your electrical systems:  lights, several computers, anti-lock brake system, traction control, power windows, electronic fuel injectors, stability control, air conditioning, – the list goes on.  Any leftover electricity goes to recharge your vehicle’s battery.

Now, if you were on a long road trip, no sweat – you’d have plenty of time to fully recharge your battery.  But not if you’re making stops around town.  Every time you start your engine, your battery takes that big hit again.  Multiple starts – multiple hits.  By the time you get home, you have less than a full charge.

When the battery is continuously in a discharged state, it loses its ability to fully recharge.  This starts a downward spiral in your battery life.  Now when your battery is on its way to getting this bad, your alternator is working overtime trying to keep it charged.  This causes your alternator to wear out prematurely.  A lot of experience technicians suggest replacing your battery after five years, even though it hasn’t yet failed, just as a maintenance item to extend the life of your alternator.

There is something simple you can do to help your battery last longer – by hooking up a battery charger once a month in the summer and every three months in the winter.  This will ensure your car battery routinely has a full charge.  You can do this less often in the winter because the electro-chemical process slows down when it’s colder and less damage is done when your battery is low.  Computerized battery chargers are real easy to use because they monitor and control the charging rate to keep the battery from overheating while it’s charging.

We recommend that you ask your service adviser to test your battery, so you know how much life is left.  If it’s good but needs a battery maintenance service, he’ll have it cleaned up and make sure the connections and cables are good.  If it looks like you ought to replace it, he’ll help you with a battery that’s right for your vehicle and your driving needs.  Give us a call.

PCV Valve Replacement

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The PCV valve is a small, inexpensive part that does a big job for Denver and our environment here.  PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation.  The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil.  When the engine’s running, fuel is burned to generate power.  Most of the exhaust from combustion goes out through the exhaust system.  But some exhaust blows by the pistons and goes into the lower engine, or crankcase.

These hot gases hold about 70 percent of the fuel that hasn’t burned.  This can dilute and contaminate the oil, leading to damaging engine oil sludge.  It can also cause engine corrosion.  At high speeds, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak.  Over time, the vented gases will gum up the PCV valve and it won’t work well.  That can lead to oil leaks, excessive oil consumption, and reduced fuel economy.

Fortunately, it’s very easy to test the PCV valve, and it’s quick and inexpensive to replace at Express Car Care in Denver.  Even so, it’s often overlooked because many drivers don’t know about it.  Check in your owner’s manual or ask your service adviser.  If this is the first time you’ve heard of a PCV valve, you might be in need of a replacement.

For the price of a couple of burger combo meals at your favorite drive-up window, you can avoid some very expensive deep engine repairs.  So don’t hesitate to ask questions about PCV valve replacement, give us a call.

Keep It Straight-Wheel Alignment

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Have you ever been in your local grocery store and had one of those shopping carts?  You know, the one with a messed up wheel that wobbles like crazy.  Your cart shakes and pulls to one side and if you’re not careful, it’s clean up on aisle nine.

Wheel alignment on your vehicle is a lot like that.  One or more of your wheels can get out of alignment and you feel a vibration in your steering wheel, which may also be off-center.  Your vehicle might pull to one side and your tires start to wear unevenly.  If you’re not paying attention you could chew through a tire in a few months.

Sometimes wheels get knocked out of alignment by something big like hitting a curb on a bumpy road or slamming into a pothole.  But everyday driving takes a toll too and vehicles naturally lose alignment over time.  That’s why we recommend an alignment check at regular intervals.  At Express Car Care, we offer a full menu of quality auto repair and maintenance services, including wheel alignment.

In your alignment inspection, your friendly and helpful technician will check your tires and your suspension system for damage.  He’ll test your alignment to see if it’s within specifications.  If not, he can make the necessary adjustments to get the wheels of your vehicle all pointing the same direction again.

If your vehicle pulls to one side, or you feel a vibration in the steering wheel, if your tires seem to be wearing abnormally, talk with your service adviser.  You may need to put an alignment inspection at the top of your to-do list.

Give us a call or come in and see us.

Maintenance Free Myth

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Myths start with a grain of truth and are then built up and circulated around with a lot of imagination and very elastic logic.  Unfortunately the internet is a breeding ground for automotive myths.  Some car bloggers recall the vehicles of yesteryear and declare their modern descendants to be virtually maintenance free and that anyone who says otherwise is out to rip you off.

Let’s examine a couple of the more popular myths going around and look at the truth behind them.  The first one is that the chassis no longer needs lubrication for suspension, steering and the drive line.  They declare that any service center who has charged you for lubrication is a charlatan.  The truth on which the myth is based is that most vehicles come from the factory with sealed joints and cannot be greased.  However, there are still some grease points on some cars.  A grease fitting may have been installed in conjunction with a repair.  And most trucks and truck based SUVs still require chassis lubrication.  This is because they are more heavy duty, and proper greasing is still required to keep them running.  Talk to us at Express Car Care in Denver.

Another common myth is that modern cars don’t need tune-ups.  Do cars need tune-ups?  That depends on your definition of a tune-up, which has changed as the technology has progressed.  Before engine control computers, electronic ignition and fuel injection, a tune-up meant replacing mechanical parts that wore out.  You’d manually adjust fuel and air mix and timing.  When those adjustments were off, spark plugs would fail and need to be replaced.

That definition doesn’t apply to modern vehicles.  Auto service centers generally consider a tune-up to be the major service visit recommended by your vehicle’s manufacturer.

Of course you can’t lubricate a sealed joint, or adjust a carburetor if your car doesn’t have one.  You don’t need to change spark plugs every year if your manufacturer says they can go longer.  What are these car bloggers getting so worked up about?

The danger with these maintenance free myths is that they prevent drivers from taking care of the routine preventative car maintenance that manufacturers DO recommend.  Below is a partial list of things you still need to do to take care of your car.  How many of them are really any different today than they were 20 or 30 years ago?

Oil change, cooling system service, transmission service, tire balancing and rotation, wheel alignment, suspension service, power steering service, brake service, engine air filter, fuel filter, belts, hoses, windshield wipers…

You get the picture. Your car or truck is still a machine that needs to be maintained and your technicians have always adapted to keep pace with automotive technology. Don’t let yourself be fooled by those maintenance free myths.

Differential Service

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When you take a corner in your car, the outside wheels have a little bit longer distance to cover than the inside wheels.  This means that the outside wheels have to turn slightly faster than the inside wheels.  This mechanical magic is made possible by the differential.

The differential is what allows the drive wheels to rotate at different speeds during turns without the wheels sticking or jumping.  If your vehicle is a rear-wheel drive, the differential is located on the rear axle.  If you’ve noticed a bulge in the middle of the axle when you’re driving behind a truck, that’s the differential.

If your vehicle is a front-wheel drive, the function of the differential is handled by the transaxle.  Of course, an all-wheel drive vehicle has a differential on both axles.  They also have a center differential or a transfer case between the front and rear axles to compensate for speed differences between the front and rear.

Because all the power of the engine is transferred through the various differentials, you can imagine how strong they need to be and that they’re built to last a long time.  That’s why it’s so important to keep your differential properly lubricated.  Differential fluid cools and protects the gears.

Your service technician will check the differential fluid level and top it off if necessary.  With low fluid, the differential will run too hot and wear prematurely.  Ask your service adviser for the recommended time to change your differential fluid.  Fresh fluid will extend the life of your differential.  Your service technician will also inspect the u-joints, which connect your driveshaft to the differential and he may recommend service.  Some u-joints can be lubricated as part of a routine lube, oil and filter change as well.

Now , of course, differentials eventually wear out and need to be replaced.  You might notice a strange noise from your axle area as one of the first warning signs.  When the differential shows signs of failing, it’s important to repair it quickly.  If you leave it too long and it freezes up when you’re driving, you could lose control of your vehicle, as well as cause damage to other parts like the axle, driveshaft or transmission.

Advice on Your Cooling System

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Last week I was out running errands and my temperature warning light came on – total panic!  I pulled over and my car was overheating.  After I waited for it to cool down, I went right into my Denver service center to have them take a look.  My service adviser at Express Car Care told me my water pump was leaking and needed to be replaced.  He said water pumps just wear out and that they need to be replaced, because they have the important task of pumping the coolant that cools the engine while it’s running.

He told me they checked out my radiator hoses, serpentine belt and tensioner and that they were fine, but I was overdue for changing my coolant – embarrassingly overdue.  I didn’t realize there was a schedule in my owner’s manual for when to change my coolant.  My Express Car Care service professional said that the coolant actually becomes corrosive over time and could damage my radiator, head gaskets, intake manifold gaskets, heater core, metal cooling pipes, expansion plugs,…the list goes on.  That’s why they recommend changing the fluid on schedule.

So after they replaced the coolant with the kind my owner’s manual recommends and after learning a difficult lesson, I was on my way.  It feels good knowing my cooling system is healthy now and I don’t need to worry about it.  At least until my next scheduled coolant change.

Clean Air For Your Engine

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Every vehicle owner who has taken their car in for an oil change has been told at one time or another that their engine air filter is dirty.  These are the steps that go into determining when your engine air filter needs to be changed.

First, your vehicle owner’s manual will have a recommendation of when to change the filter.  Second, a visual inspection by your service technician may determine that your filter is visibly dirty and needs to be changed.

So between your vehicle owner’s manual and your technician’s inspection there is very little guesswork involved.

Now, most air filters purchased in the Denver area don’t cost a whole lot to replace, but most of us don’t really enjoy getting caught with an unexpected expense.  On the plus side, though, changing a dirty air filter at Express Car Care can often save enough on gas to pay for itself before your next oil change.

You can compare it to a dirty furnace filter in your home.  When it’s all clogged up, enough clean air can’t get through and your furnace struggles to heat your home.  In your vehicle, a dirty air filter means that your engine can’t get as much air as it needs to burn the fuel efficiently.  So it makes do with less air and has to use more gas to move your vehicle around on the roads.

Your vehicle actually needs about 12,000 gallons of clean air for every gallon of gas it burns to run efficiently.  So give your vehicle some clean air for your engine and have your air filter changed.  It doesn’t cost a lot initially and saves you money in the long run, while also protecting your engine and giving it better performance.

Serpentine Belt

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Question:  My car repair shop said I need a new serpentine belt, but I don’t see any cracks in it.  Does it really need to be replaced?

Express Car Care Answer:  I appreciate your concern.  Old style neoprene belts would crack with age, making it pretty obvious to drivers when they needed to be replaced.  Nowadays, serpentine belts are made from different material that doesn’t crack or glaze the way neoprene did.

Just to explain, the serpentine belt transfers power from the engine to various accessories, such as the alternator, power steering pump and air conditioning compressor – even the power brakes and water pump on some vehicles.  Modern serpentine belts have several grooves running their length.  These grooves mate with the pulleys on the accessories.  When the belt is within its useful life, it spins the accessories at the designed speed.

Over time, belt material is worn away.  When as little as 5% of the material is lost, the belt can slip and won’t spin the accessories properly, leading to stress and damage.

Using a special tool, your knowledgeable service adviser can measure the material lost in your serpentine belt.  He will indicate if it needs to be replaced.

It’s important for drivers to understand that the serpentine belt is part of the accessory belt drive system, which also includes the serpentine belt tensioner and any idler pulleys.  The belt tensioner has the same service life as the belt itself, so if it is time to replace the belt, you should also replace the tensioner and idler pulleys as well.

A worn belt tensioner can cause the belt to slip and not do the job it’s suppose to do.  Running too long with a worn belt, tensioner or idler pulleys causes excessive heat at the accessory pulleys, resulting in inefficiency, damage and premature replacement.

Express Car Care can perform tests to see if your serpentine belt is worn and should be replaced.  Ask your service adviser if it’s time for a serpentine belt system replacement

Car Vent Cleaning

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Do you ever get musky odors coming from your car’s air vents?  It’s a fairly common experience for Denver drivers.  Moisture can accumulate in the air conditioning/heating ventilation system allowing mold, mildew, fungus and bacteria to grow.

Disinfecting and deodorizing is a process.  Depending on how serious the problem, there are a couple of approaches Express Car Care may take to get rid of the unwanted smells.  For mild situations (especially on newer vehicles)  a special deodorizing disinfectant is introduced into the ventilation system.  This may be an aerosol or a mist application.

The treatment kills the offending organisms and deodorizes the system.  Sometimes in older vehicles, a good deal of mildew or other microorganisms can grow on the air conditioning evaporator, which is housed in the heating/air conditioning air blend box behind the dashboard.  In this situation, the blend box is filled with disinfecting foam that can eliminate stubborn organisms and return a fresh, clean scent.  In all of this, don’t forget your cabin air filter.  This is the filter that cleans the air coming into the passenger compartment of your vehicle.

Denver residents can have the cabin air filter replaced to eliminate unpleasant odors.   This is the first line of defense.  Changing the cabin air filter as needed can actually prevent further contamination problems down the road.  If you are experiencing any unusual odors, sounds, or vibrations, talk to your knowledgeable Express Car Care service adviser.  He can recommend the needed steps to discover the problem and what it will take to set it right.

Air Conditioning

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Let’s talk about air conditioning service and repair issues today.  Most of us in Denver don’t give our air conditioning a second thought – just as long as it’s making cold air.  But it’s a complex and expensive system that we should think more about before it starts blowing out hot air.

The refrigerant in the air conditioner contains a special oil that lubricates and cools the A/C parts.  When enough refrigerant leaks out, your air conditioner still makes cold air, but the parts don’t have enough oil to protect them and they wear out faster than they should.  That’s why it’s so important to service the air conditioner as recommended by your service center.

Replacing old refrigerant has another benefit:  refrigerant tends to gather moisture and become corrosive.  That causes leaks in the system which can be expensive to repair.  Fresh refrigerant protects the air conditioning components and keeps the system operating at peak efficiency so it doesn’t have to work as hard to keep you cool.

Even with regular service, A/C parts can just wear out.  Normal wear and tear eventually affects all moving parts.

Addressing early problems can save on more extensive repairs down the road.  For instance, a common failure is the clutch that turns the compressor on and off.  If you can take care of a bad A/C clutch when it first starts having problems, you may be able to save the compressor.  But if you wait too long you’ll have to replace them both.

Check your owner’s manual or ask your service adviser for service recommendations.  And if you are hearing strange sounds when your air conditioning turns on, or if it just isn’t as cold as it used to be, have us give it the once over and see what it will take to keep you cool.

Brakes Service

Oil Change

Suspension

Transmision Service

Engine Service

Auto Tips & Tricks