Express Car Care of Denver

"Denver's Best Auto Repair and Quick Lube"

A Clean Fuel System

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FuelTank_1Hello drivers, today we’re going to talk about your fuel system.  The fuel system on your vehicle encompasses everything that it takes to get the fuel from your tank to your engine.  It starts with your fuel pump, which is located in the tank, then there are fuel lines, a fuel filter, a throttle assembly and fuel injectors.  When all of these parts in the fuel system are clean, fuel flows as it should and gives you a good and strong engine performance.  But when your fuel injectors, valves and fuel intake are clogged or gummed up, your engine doesn’t run as efficiently and its performance will suffer.

The fuel in our vehicles just naturally gums things up over time.  The government requires all fuel to have detergent in it to help clean the fuel system, but not all fuel is created equal.  Bargain fuel may just have the minimal amount of detergent to meet the government standards, so using a good quality fuel that may have several times the minimum amount of detergent will help you have a clean fuel system in your vehicle.

Sometimes, even if you’re using a quality fuel, your fuel system can still get too dirty and you’ll need a professional fuel system cleaning.  If your vehicle has lost some of its zip, or is sputtering a bit, it could be because of a dirty fuel system.  Your helpful and knowledgeable Express Car Care adviser can check it out and tell you if it’s time for a fuel system cleaning.

Give us a call if you have any questions.

Transmission Service

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Transmission ServiceAutomatic Transmissions have gotten more sophisticated in recent years for car owners.  Take the number of gears for starters:  The base is four speeds, five is very common.  Many manufacturers are using six speeds and several have seven or even eight speeds.  As you can imagine, this means more parts in your vehicle’s transmission.

Today’s transmissions are computer controlled.  Some high end transmissions have two or three computers.  Car owners are trusting that transmissions are engineered to last, but motorists need to understand that they are also engineered to tighter tolerances.  If a portion of the transmission is starved for lubrication, it can lead to failure.

This can happen if there isn’t enough fluid and also if the transmission fluid gets dirty or sludgy.  Small passages in the transmission can get clogged, then the lubricant is blocked and can’t get to all the parts to protect them, so they wear out prematurely.

Most newer vehicles require special transmission fluids and at Express Car Care we can make sure you get the type of fluid your manufacturer recommends.

As you can imagine, repairing one of these new transmissions can be quite costly at most auto repair shops.  That’s why manufacturers have a transmission service schedule for how often drivers should change the fluid and what type of fluid to use.  Come in and see us and let us help you with this or any other of your car’s service needs.

Power Steering Service

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Power Steering ServiceIt’s easy for us to take power steering for granted – you spin the steering wheel and your car turns.  But behind the scenes your power steering is making it easy.

The vast majority of vehicles today have hydraulic power steering systems, which means that pressurized fluid is used to help you do the work of steering.  A pump pressurizes the power steering fluid to provide the boost that you need.  In some vehicles the pump is driven by the serpentine belt and in others there is an electric pump.

The problem is that over time the fluid becomes contaminated and can actually cause leaks in the hoses and connections.  It gets harder to steer and could even cause total failure of the power steering system.

Periodically, your friendly and knowledgeable Express Car Care service adviser may recommend that you have your transmission fluid changed, which involves removing the old, dirty fluid and replacing it with fresh fluid.  This helps the power steering components last longer and maintains your vehicle’s power steering performance and keeps you safely on the road.  Your technician will also have your system checked for leaks and the belt inspected for other pending needs.  Ask your service technician if it’s time to perform a power steering service on your vehicle today.

Prevent Cooling System Problems

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Prevent Cooling System ProblemsCooling system problems are the most common reason for mechanical failure in a vehicle and they are largely avoidable.  Here’s what you need to know to prevent cooling system problems.  First, the terms coolant and antifreeze are often used interchangeably.  The fluid cools your engine while it’s running and it keeps it from freezing when it’s cold.

Your cooling system is filled with a 50/50 mixture of water and antifreeze/coolant.  So if you’re topping off antifreeze/coolant it is important to add the proper amount of each.  Distilled water is much better than tap water.  Now you can buy premixed coolant so you can be sure you know the mixture going in your vehicle is correct.

Two important precautions:  First, never add coolant when the engine is hot.  This can lead to serious burns.  Second, there are many antifreeze formulas out there.  Your manufacturer recommends a specific type that won’t harm your cooling system components.  Use the wrong fluid and you could en up voiding your cooling system warranty.  Your knowledgeable Express Car Care adviser can help you with all  of this.

Each manufacturer has a schedule for when you should change the coolant in your vehicle.  It’s important to follow this schedule because neglecting your cooling system allows the fluid to become corrosive.  Corrosion leads to leaks which can lead to greater damage.  Check with your service adviser at Express Car Care to see if it’s time for a cooling system inspection and service.  Give us a call and let us help.

Suspension Integrity

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Suspension IntegrityHello – today we’re talking about suspension integrity.  Your skeleton provides the structure to hold up your weight.  Your joints cushion you as you walk and allow you to change direction.  Your vehicle’s suspension system is similar:  it bears the weight of your vehicle, absorbs bumps in the road and controls the body as you steer.

Like the bones in your body, vehicle suspension parts are connected by joints that allow all the components to move as they should.  Over time and miles, the joints start to wear and your suspension gets loose and doesn’t operate as precisely as before, reducing proper tire contact with the road.  An accident, pothole or hitting a curb or rock can also damage or break vehicle suspension components.

If you’ve ever hurt your foot, you know you’ve had to walk differently to keep it from hurting.  Do that long enough and your ankle, knee, hip and even your back will start to hurt from the strain of not moving normally.  The same thing happens in your vehicle when one joint or part is worn or damaged:  it stresses everything else and causes premature wear to the whole system.

Signs of suspension problems include uneven tire wear, vibration, rattles or clunks when you hit a bump or turn on a windy road, or the vehicle pulls to one side.

If you suspect a suspension problem, ask your helpful Express Car Care service adviser about your suspension system.  They can also check your alignment while they’re at it.  Taking care of a worn or damaged suspension component early, will head off future damage and repairs down the road.

Give us a call.

Tire Rotation & Balancing

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Tire Rotation & BalancingYou can make your tires last longer with regular tire rotation and wheel balancing.

Let’s start with tire rotation.  In normal driving around, your front tires wear more on the shoulders because they handle much of the cornering forces in turns.  Front-wheel drive vehicles have even more force on the front tires.

We rotate the tires so that all of the tires do some duty on the front end as well as getting a little break on the back end.  That way, all four tires wear more evenly over their life and last longer.

For most vehicles, tires are rotated front to back.  Some manufacturers recommend a cross rotational pattern that includes the spare tire, and some high-performance vehicles have different size tires on the front and rear and may even have uni-directional tires that can only be on the left or the right side of the vehicle.  Your service adviser at Express Car Care can help you sort that out and will perform the right tire rotation for your vehicle.

Your tire manufacturer will have a recommendation for how often you should rotate your tires.  It’s usually somewhere around 5,000 to 8,000 miles.

Let’s move on to wheel balancing.  That’s when there are heavy spots on the tire and wheel that cause it to wobble.

Balancing adds weights to the wheel to balance it out.  We are talking about very small weight differences.  Variations in the tire and wheel manufacturing can cause a slight imbalance.  the valve stem, and now the tire pressure monitoring sensors in the tire, also play into the equation.

Even small differences can cause annoying vibrations at speed:  the wheel is essentially bouncing a bit as it goes down the road.  For example, at freeway speeds, an out of balance wheel can be slamming into the road 14 times a second.  That’s annoying and can cause your tires to wear out more quickly.

If a front wheel is out of balance you’ll feel the vibration through the steering wheel.  When it’s a rear tire, you’ll feel the vibration through your seat.  If you’re getting bad vibrations from your vehicle, bring it in to see if it’s a balance issue or something else.  You should balance your wheels whenever you get a new tire or remount a tire, as when it’s been removed for a flat tire repair.

Clean Air For Your Engine: Air Filters

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Clean Air For Your Engine: Air FiltersEvery Denver car 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.  Here is what goes into the determination of when the air filter needs to be changed.  First, your vehicles 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’s really no guesswork involved.

Now, most air filters purchased in Denver don’t cost a lot to replace.  It’s just that car owners hate 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.

Think about a dirty furnace filter in your home.  When it’s all clogged up, enough clean air can’t get through.  In your vehicle, that 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 air for every gallon of gas it burns.  Engine air filters don’t cost much and provide clean air for your engine.  When it’s time to change yours, just get it done.  You’ll save money, protect your engine and get better performance.

Getting Fresh Air Inside Your Car

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Getting Fresh Air Inside Your CarAir quality affects us wherever we are.  Decades ago, residents began to become aware of how air pollution negatively affects our health.  But what about the air inside your car?

Cabin air filters are now being put inside most new vehicles since the 2000 model year.  These filters clean the air in the passenger compartment.  They can filter particles down to three microns, so that’s good enough to clean out dust, pollen and most pollutants.  If you suffer from allergies, this is very good news.

You can look in your vehicle owner’s manual to see if you have a cabin air filter in your car.  If you do, there will be a recommendation for replacing it when it gets dirty.  If you live where there’s a lot of dust, pollen or pollution, you may need to change it more often.  You can also ask your helpful and knowledgeable service adviser at Express Car Care.

How hard it is to change a cabin air filter depends on your vehicle.  Some are quite accessible; while others take some doing to get to them.  They’re usually in the vehicle engine compartment or under the dashboard.

Because cabin air filters are fairly new on the scene, some motorists haven’t hear of them – even those that have them in their cars.  Express Car Care service advisers report customers complaining of an unpleasant odor in the car and it turned out to be a dirty cabin air filter.

An important note for hybrid car owners:  there is a special air filter that cleans the air that cools the hybrid battery pack.  This filter should be inspected every time the cabin air filter is inspected and replaced if it is dirty so that the battery pack doesn’t overheat.

The next time you’re in for an oil change make sure you’re getting fresh air inside your car by having the cabin air filter inspected or replaced.

 

Simple Answers About High Mileage Vehicles

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Simple Answers About High Mileage VehiclesQuestion:  What do I need to do for my high mileage vehicle?

Simple Answer:  Denver motorists ask this question at Express Car Care a lot more these days.  The median age for vehicles on Colorado expressways is now over 11 years.  Regardless of your reason for keeping your vehicle around, the good news for Denver auto owners is that it’s capable of going 150,000 to 200,000 miles or more with the proper care and professional automotive service at Express Car Care.

Here are some tips from Express Car Care on how to make your high mileage vehicle last:

  • First, Denver drivers should follow all of their regularly scheduled maintenance routines.  Things like oil changes, transmission and cooling systems service are critical for avoiding expensive damage.  This reduces your overall cost for keeping your vehicle for a long time.
  • Next, regular inspections are critical for Denver motorists.  Those parts are starting to get old and will become worn out over time.  Thorough inspections of various systems will uncover things that are nearing the end of their service life, like suspension, brake and steering components.  Replacing worn parts early not only prevents expensive breakdowns, but relieves stress on related costly components so they will last longer as well.
  • Another thing for Denver motorists to consider is the use of special high mileage fluid formulations.  For example, high mileage engine oil has special additives that condition those old seals and gaskets.  It also has extra detergents to help keep that older truck engine clean inside.  High mileage oil, transmission fluid, etc., costs a little more but can really head off some of the problems that are typical of older vehicles around Colorado.
  • One last thing for Denver drivers would be to consult with your Express Car Care service specialist about the overall condition of your vehicle and your driving routines.  It may be advisable to follow your vehicle manufacturer’s “severe service schedule”.

Even with the occasional unexpected repair associated with a high mileage  vehicle, you can still enjoy good, reliable transportation if you take good care of your ride.  Give us a call and let us know how we can help.

Express Car Care Automotive Tips: Serpentine Belt

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Express Car Care Automotive Tips: Serpentine BeltQuestion:

My Express Car Care service adviser 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 Denver motorists when they needed to be replaced.  Nowadays, serpentine belts are made from a different material that doesn’t crack or glaze the way neoprene did.

Stepping back, the serpentine belt transfers power from the engine to various critical accessories like 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 not properly spin the accessories leading to dangerous stress and expensive damage.

Using a special tool, your Express Car Care tech can measure the material lost in your serpentine belt.  He will know if it needs to be replaced.

It’s critical for Denver 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 can cause belt slip and enough belt-slap to really hammer the accessory upstream from the tensioner.  Running too long with a worn belt, tensioner, or idler pulleys usually causes excessive heat at the accessory pulleys, resulting in inefficiency, expensive damage and premature replacement.

Express Car Care in Denver can perform a diagnostic examination to see if your belt or tensioner is worn and should be replaced.  Ask your service specialist if it’s time for a serpentine belt system replacement.

 

Brakes Service

Oil Change

Suspension

Transmision Service

Engine Service

Auto Tips & Tricks