Express Car Care of Denver

"Denver's Best Auto Repair and Quick Lube"

Viva la Differential

by

Viva la DifferentialWith front-wheel drive being so common these days, the differential is also being taken care of during a transmission service at Express Car Care, so most Denver drivers don’t even have to think about it.  And most rear-wheel drive differentials don’t need to be serviced for many miles, so it’s understandable why it’s not something on the top of drivers minds.  Because of this, it’s not uncommon for people not to know they have a differential, let alone know that it needs service.

To understand better what a differential does, think about a high school track.  There are lanes marked on the track.  For the long distance races, the starting lines are staggered.  The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes.  That’s to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes.  Staggering the starting lines means that each runner has the same distance to run.

The differential compensates for the difference in speeds on drive wheels between the inside wheel and the outside wheel in a turn because they have to travel together through slightly different distances.

Differentials do a lot of work and require very heavy duty parts, and those parts need protection.  The differential fluid lubricates the gears in the differential and keeps them cool.  The fluid eventually gets dirty and worn down.  Some kinds of differentials require special additives that break down over time.  So follow recommended intervals for replacing your differential fluid.

Your helpful and knowledgeable pro at Express Car Care will drain the used fluid and check it out for metal bits, which could be a sign of excessive wear on the gears.  He’ll then replace the fluid and install the additives if necessary.

Four wheel drive vehicles need special attention to their differentials because they have a differential on both the front and rear axles that work at different times and sometimes under heavy loads – so they may need to be serviced at different intervals.  Your service adviser can look up the recommended service interval or you can check your owner’s manual.

 

Wheel Bearings

by

Wheel BearingsYour wheel bearings may be something that you’ve not given much thought about while you’re driving your car around.  But wheel bearings are what enable your wheels to spin freely.  Since they bear the entire weight of the vehicle, they have to be tough.  Wheel bearings can last well over 60,000 miles or 100,000 kilometers.  They do wear out though and must eventually be replaced.

You might hear a groaning sound from your wheels.  The sound might disappear at some speeds and reappear at others.  Your service technician at Express Car Care can quickly tell if your bearings are bad by raising the vehicle and wiggling the wheel.  When you grasp the top and bottom of the tire, it shouldn’t move along the vertical axis.

Many vehicles these days have wheel bearing assemblies that cannot be serviced at Express Car Care.  When the bearings go bad, we simply replace the entire wheel bearing assembly.

For those vehicles with wheel bearings that can be accessed, we can do some preventive maintenance.  You may have heard the phrase “pack the bearings”.  With this procedure we remove the bearings, carefully clean them and inspect them for any imperfection or wear.  If the bearings can be reused, we reinstall them and pack them with grease.  If not, we put in new bearings.  Check your owner’s manual or ask your service adviser if your bearings can be serviced, and if so, when it should be done.

Taking care of bad bearings is extremely important.  When bearings go bad, they generate tremendous amounts of heat – enough to lock up the wheel.  That’s not a good thing at any speed.  In some cases the wheel can even fall off!  Either of these situations can cause a serious accident.  So have your wheel bearings inspected, especially if you suspect a problem and replace them right away if there is one.  Don’t let yourself be caught off-guard.

Severe Service Schedule

by

Severe Service ScheduleSome of our customers at Express Car Care are surprised to learn that there are actually two service schedules for their vehicles.  One is the regular schedule and the other is the severe service schedule.

Let’s look at what the manufacturers say constitutes severe driving conditions, and let you draw your own conclusions:

  • Most of your trips are less than four miles
  • Most of your trips are less than ten miles and outside temperatures are below freezing
  • The engine is at low speed most of the time – not on the highway
  • You operate your vehicle in dusty areas
  • You regularly tow a trailer, carry heavy loads or a car-top carrier
  • Stop and go driving
  • Driving in very hot or very cold weather

So you can see that a lot has to do with how you drive, but some has to do with where you drive.  Some areas of the country will be more or less severe than it is here in Denver.

For many, normal driving includes elements of severe service driving.  So how do you know?  Picture a line with “regular” on one end and “severe” on the other, and make a judgment on where you fall.

If your regular oil change recommendation is 5,000 miles and the severe service recommendation is 3,000 -when should you change your oil?  For some, it’s closer to 3,000 miles.  For others, it’s closer to 5,000 miles.  Your service adviser will be happy to have this discussion with you and help you sort it out.

If you drive where the air is dusty or polluted, fluids will become contaminated and filters will get dirtier more quickly.

So make an honest evaluation of your driving conditions in and around Denver.  You’ve made the commitment to take care of your vehicles, so it only makes sense to follow the right schedule.

Give us a call for advice for your car based on our local Denver driving conditions.

 

Improve Fuel Economy

by

Improve Fuel EconomyLet’s review some things that Denver residents can do to improve fuel economy.  Bottom line – the better you maintain your vehicle, the less fuel you will use.  It all adds up in a big way.  For example, replacing your dirty engine air filter will pay for itself in fuel savings before your next oil change – and will keep saving you money after that.

A clean, well-maintained fuel system really pays big dividends for budget conscious Denver residents.  A clogged fuel filter wastes gas.  So does a dirty fuel system, grimy fuel injectors and plugged up PCV valves.  A fuel system service decreases the gas you use, and increases the power – so you can’t go wrong.

Some of us might ignore our check engine light.  But fixing the problem that caused the light to come on will usually improve fuel economy as well.

It may simply be time for a tune-up.  Tune-ups should improve your fuel economy as well as keeping your vehicle in good running condition.  Don’t overlook the routine maintenance items, like scheduled oil changes, transmission and cooling system service.  Dirty or low fluids actually use more fuel.  Just look at your recommended service intervals in the owner’s manual, or ask your helpful Express Car Care service adviser for the schedule.

Don’t overlook your tires.  Under-inflated tires waste gas because they don’t roll easily and cause the engine to use more fuel to turn them.

Check your gas cap to make sure it isn’t worn or doesn’t leak.

None of these things are very complicated or expensive and when you maintain your vehicle properly, you will improve fuel economy today and prevent repairs tomorrow.

Alternator Replacement

by

Alternator ReplacementSome drivers have probably noticed a bunch of warning lights on their dash when they start their engine.  They flash on to test the circuits and then go off if everything’s OK.  One of the warning lights looks like a car battery.  Its job is to tell you if your vehicle’s battery isn’t charging properly.

Most motorists probably know that their battery stores electricity – enough to start the engine and get moving.  but that’s about it – you can only get a few miles on battery power alone.  You need an alternator to generate enough electricity to run your vehicle’s engine and power your electrical accessories, like the stereo, power seats, heater fan, on-board computers, and so on.  On top of that, the alternator needs to recharge your battery.  So when your alternator isn’t working, there isn’t going to be enough electricity for all of those things.  When your alternator fails, you aren’t going very far.

So why would your alternator not work?  Usually they’ve simple worn out.  Alternators are driven by your serpentine belt and spin 2 to 3 times faster than the engine – that’s a lot of work.  The bearings wear out, as do the copper wire coils and magnets that generate the electricity.

There’s no sense in hobbling along with an alternator that’s not working properly.  It will fail at some point and leave you stranded, then you’ll be wishing you would’ve had an alternator replacement sooner.  You need to get a bad alternator replaced as soon as you possible.  When you come to Express Car Care for an alternator replacement, someone knowledgeable will install an alternator that meets your specifications.  Some drivers use a lot of additional electrical products in their vehicles, like computers and DVD players.  Others may regularly tow a camping trailer that is putting extra pressure on its battery as they drive.  If that sounds like you, you’ll need to think about upgrading to a more heavy duty alternator.  Come in and let us help you figure it out.

Waiting On Vehicle Service?

by

Waiting on Vehicle Service?Why do car owners hesitate to get their vehicles serviced?  A recent report stated that over 80% of the vehicles on the road have one or more services or repair needed, but haven’t taken care of them.  Now that’s a lot of undone service.  That translates into something over 160 million vehicles in the U.S. alone.  Some of the neglected items are minor, others are serious safety concerns.

There are several reasons why Denver drivers hesitate to take care of recommended services – especially services that are recommended by their service adviser when they’re in for another service, like an oil change.

The first issue boils down to comfort with car care.  Some drivers aren’t comfortable with their technicians and don’t feel they know enough to make good decisions.  And if drivers don’t know much themselves about cars, they hesitate to ask questions because they don’t want to seem ignorant.  That’s human nature.  But, there’s only so much we can know, we can’t all be experts in everything, so we specialize.  It’s very important to ask questions of any specialist, whether it’s your doctor, or automotive technician. Your technician values your questions.  He wants you to understand the recommendation and why it needs to be done.

That brings us to the next issue.  Folks say that they don’t always know if they really need the service or if they are just being sold something.  The heart of the issue is trust.  Do you trust your service center and advisor at Express Car Care?  Trust has to be earned and that takes time and experience, but you can shortcut the process when you realize that most of the recommendations are based on vehicle manufacturer’s maintenance schedules.  In other words, you don’t have to trust me, you can trust your owner’s manual.

Basically, the engineers who designed your vehicle say here’s when you need to have it serviced.  That’s who make the recommendation, not your service adviser, he’s just reminding you.

Drivers do need to trust their technicians experience and judgement from time to time though.  When he inspects your vehicle, he may find problems or concerns.  He will explain things so you can prioritize the concern and make a good decision about whether or not to have something done.

That brings us to the third issue.  Money.  Often the concern is about spending the money to take care of a recommended service.  We all have lists of things we either need, or want to spend our money on, and auto maintenance usually isn’t very high on that list.

When there is a real budget concern, your helpful service adviser can help you prioritize the work that needs to be done and come up with a plan for taking care of it that works with your budget.  There’s no need to keep waiting on your vehicle service.  Come in and see us.

Answers About Your Engine Air Filter

by

Answers About Your Engine Air FilterQuestion:  What’s the harm in putting off replacing my engine air filter a little longer?

Express Car Care Answer:  That’s a fair question we hear from Denver drivers because the harm takes a while to manifest.  Let’s take a small step back and talk about what an engine air filter does.

The air around us contains dust, dirt, pollen, spores, etc.  Some areas and times of the year have more contaminants in the air.  The job of the air filter is to keep that stuff out of your engine.  The benefit to drivers is obvious!

Your engine uses a lot of air – 12,000 liters of air for every liter of fuel – so the engine air filter has a huge job to do.  When the air filter gets full and can’t hold anymore dirt, all that air still has to get to the engine, so the dirt gets forced through the filter too and heads on down to the engine.  The air flows passed the mass air flow (MAF) sensor on its way to the engine.  The MAF sensor tell the engine control computer how much air is coming so the computer can send the proper amount of fuel into the engine to maintain the correct air-to-fuel ratio.

When dirty air is flowing passed the filter, dirt starts to build up on the delicate MAF sensor elements causing incorrect air flow readings.  The computer then sends the wrong amount of fuel to the engine.  This can rob power from the engine, but the most harm comes from fuel that hasn’t been burned passing through the exhaust system and getting caught in the catalytic converter.  This leads to your catalytic converter failing.

A primary cause of catalytic converter failure is improper engine management, often triggered by a dirty MAF sensor which was contaminated because the engine air filter had not been replaced as recommended.  As a driver, you can buy cases of air filters for what it would cost to replace a catalytic converter.  So when it’s time to replace your engine air filter keep in mind the potential long term effects of putting it off.  Talk to your friendly and knowledgeable Express Car Care service adviser and let him help.

Cooling System Service

by

Cooling System ServicePeople often ask questions about the cooling system – the system that cools your vehicle’s engine and keeps it at the proper operating temperature.  Let’s examine the topic in two areas:  First, the coolant itself and second, the parts that make up the cooling system.

The coolant is the mixture of water and antifreeze that circulates through the engine to draw off heat.  It’s important to have the proper amount because if you don’t have enough coolant it won’t be able to keep your engine cool.  You also need the right kind of coolant.  Different makes of vehicles require different coolant formulation to protect against corrosion.

Finally, your coolant needs to be fresh.  Over time and miles of driving, the anti-corrosion additives in the coolant are depleted and the coolant can actually start to eat away at the vehicle’s cooling system parts.  Your owner’s manual and Express Car Care adviser can help you with the recommended coolant replacement schedule and make sure you’re getting the right type of coolant.

Now let’s focus on the cooling system components.  These will all eventually wear out and need to be replaced.  Starting with the radiator, we see them coming into our shop with leaks or clogged with deposits.  Depending on the extent of the damage, at Express Car Care, we will clean, repair or replace.  We also see radiator pressure caps that can no longer hold the proper pressure.  We recommend replacing pressure caps when you change your coolant to avoid this problem.  We see leaky water pumps and hoses that need to be replaced.  there’s also a part called the thermostat that opens and closes to regulate the flow of coolant.  Sometimes they stick open or closed and the cooling system won’t work properly.

Engine damage from overheating can be very difficult and costly to fix so it’s important to maintain your cooling system properly with scheduled coolant replacement and periodic cooling system inspections.  Certainly come into Express Car Care if you suspect a leak and have us take a look.

Worn Shocks and Struts

by

Worn Shocks and StrutsShocks and struts last a long time and wear out pretty slowly for most vehicles.  But let’s face it, they’re easy to take for granted.  Because your shocks and struts do a very important job we need to make sure we pay attention to them.  They keep your tires on the road; and your tires are what connect your vehicle to the road and allow you to safely handle it through turns, over bumps and every single stop.

When you have worn shocks and struts, your tires bounce excessively over  any bumps that may be in the road that we’re driving on.  Your vehicle will wallow through corners; your front-end will dive when you stop; and the rear-end of your vehicle will squat when you accelerate.  All these hurt your ability to safely control your vehicle.  Plus your ride just isn’t as comfortable.

Worn shocks and struts cause excessive tire wear, so you’ll need to replace your tires sooner than you would if they weren’t worn.  Worn shocks and struts also stresses other suspension and steering parts, causing them to wear prematurely.  Struts are actually a major structural component of the suspension system; there’s a lot riding on them.

Replacing worn shocks and struts saves money in the long run for drivers – and you can’t really put a price on your safety and that of your passengers.  We generally recommend replacing shocks and struts at 50,000 miles.

When it’s time for new shocks or struts, we’ve got you covered.  We can give you back the ride and handling of a new vehicle.  And if you have special needs we can help you there too.  We have premium shocks and struts that will improve performance.  We can even help you with upgraded, heavy-duty shocks that will give you the confidence you need to handle those big towing or hauling jobs.

Experts recommend replacing all four shocks at the same time so that handling is even at each wheel.

If you think you have worn shocks or struts and need new ones, let us help you take care of this important safety service.  You’ll feel better, and also save money on tires and other suspension repairs down the road.

Fall Checklist

by

Fall ChecklistWe all have a Fall checklist of things we need to accomplish, whether it’s in our head, our phone or on paper.  But let’s make sure we don’t forget to put our car maintenance on that checklist.  Because without a proper running vehicle, it will be more difficult to accomplish the other things on our list.

If it’s been a while since you’ve had the oil in your car changed, Fall is a perfect time to do it.  Regular oil changes are a very important service to have on our Fall checklist.  Having clean oil in the engine helps keep your car running smoothly.

Our radiators should also be checked, they won’t last forever. Over time, they can break down and start corroding, which leads to cooling problems and a radiator repair.  Fall is a great time for a radiator flush, which is a quick and easy fix to avoid bigger problems later.  All it takes is about 30 minutes for us to drain and flush the entire cooling system, refill it with fresh anti-freeze/coolant, and check for leaks in the hoses, clamps and the radiator cap.

Check to see if your headlights and wiper blades are working.  Every day brings darkness to us a little bit earlier and good working headlights will light your path and keep you safe.  Replacing worn wiper blades and refilling the washer fluid will prepare you for those unexpected storms that can come in the Fall.  You might want to use snow blades now, since they are designed for better snow removal.

Last, but certainly not least, our Fall checklist needs to include a brake check.  No one wants to go through the terror of trying to stop suddenly and realizing the brakes aren’t working.  If you haven’t had your brakes checked in the last six months, now is the time to have it done.

Fall is a beautiful time in Colorado, but before you know it the leaves will be off the trees, and the snow will start falling.  So don’t be caught off-guard, get your vehicle ready now.

 

Brakes Service

Oil Change

Suspension

Transmision Service

Engine Service

Auto Tips & Tricks