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How To Tell When You Need a New Car Battery

Car batteries are the lifeline of your automobile. The battery provides the spark, which turns the starter, which in turn fires the distributor and leads to the ignition of gas in your internal combustion engine. Without a strong battery, there are chances that your car will have trouble starting, or, worse, won't start altogether. But how often should you change your battery and why?


    No Set Time

        Car batteries have no set time in which they must be replaced. Some may last just three or four years, while others will last much longer. It all depends on the brand, the maintenance and the conditions that the battery is subjected to. Batteries in cold areas, especially in the winter, usually need to be replaced more often than those in warmer areas, as cold saps the energy out of them.

    What to Look For

        The first sign that your battery may need to be replaced is trouble starting your car. If your car seems weak when it first cranks, then your battery is probably weak as well. Examine your battery whenever you have the hood of your car open, or ask your technician to examine it. If there are any cracks whatsoever, then you definitely should replace the battery.
        Sometimes a battery will appear to be weak, but it's just a bad connection--examine the posts that stick up off the top of the battery and see if they are full of corrosion. If this is the case, then pick up a corrosion cleaning kit, as suggested by Second Chance Garage's website, and follow the directions. Clean posts make a lot of difference.

    Time to Replace

        There are certain easy indicators that tell you it is time to change your car battery. A dead battery that will not hold a charge should be replaced as soon as possible. Any battery that was dead and that was left out during the winter likely froze. This kills a battery instantly and it should be replaced. If a battery is constantly dying in the winter and causes the starter to "click," according to the Self Sufficient Urbanite website, it likely needs a change.
        If you are in doubt, have the battery checked by a technician or at most auto parts stores. To replace the battery it's best to bring in your old one, as you'll get a refund on the "core charge" of the new battery--you might as well have them test the old one while you are there before buying the new battery.

http://www.ehow.com/way_5170805_buy-new-car-battery.html

74 Tips To Extend the Life of Your Car

Care and Maintenance Tips Keep Your Car Running in Top-Notch Condition
We’ve compiled our best expert advice, surprising tricks, and car care tips to prolong the life of your automobile!

1. Be patient during the break-in period
You’ve bought your dream car and now you want to make it last at long as possible in top condition. Here are some things to remember as you pull it out of the dealer’s lot:

• During the break-in period, typically the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km), keep your speed under 55 mph (88 kpm) or to the speed recommended by your car’s manufacturer.
• Avoid heavy loads on the drive train, such as towing trailers, and loading the roof rack or trunk with heavy construction materials.
• Do not allow your new car to idle for long periods — this is good advice for the life of your car, but especially during breakin. The oil pressure generated by doing so may not be sending oil to every part of your engine.
• Use only light to medium acceleration, keeping the engine rpms below 3,000 for the first few hours of driving.

2. Drive with care everyday
Being car considerate shouldn’t stop after the break-in. Drive with care every day and your car will reward you with longer intervals without repair.

• Do not race your car’s engine during start-up.This is a quick way to add years of wear to your engine, especially if it’s cold outside.
• Accelerate slowly when you begin your drive.The most wear to the engine and drive train occurs in the first ten to twenty minutes of operation.
• Warming the engine by letting it idle in the driveway is not a smart idea.The engine doesn’t operate at its peak temperature, resulting in incomplete fuel combustion, soot deposits on cylinder walls, oil contamination, and ultimately damaged components.
• Put less strain on your engine and automatic transmission by shifting to neutral at red lights. Otherwise, the engine is still working to push the car even while it’s stopped.
• Avoid driving at high speeds and accelerating quickly, especially when it’s very hot or very cold outside. Such driving behavior will result in more frequent repairs.
• Extend the life of your tires with careful driving. Observe posted speed limits. Avoid fast starts, stops, and turns. Avoid potholes and objects on the road. Don’t run over curbs or hit the tire against the curb when parking. And, of course, don’t burn rubber.
• When turning your steering wheel, don’t hold it in an extreme right or left position for more than a few seconds. Doing so can damage the power-steering pump.
• Consolidate your short driving trips. Most of the wear and tear — as well as the pollution your car generates — takes place in the first few minutes of driving. Doing several errands at once, during low traffic hours if possible, will keep your engine happier longer.

3. Buy gas at reputable service stations
Ask whether the gas you buy is filtered at the pump and if the station has a policy about changing the pump filters regularly. If you get a song and dance, find another gas station. Some stations don’t have pump filters, making you more vulnerable to dirty gasoline. Other stations may not mix alcohol and fuel properly — or worse, water down their product. Find a station you trust and stick to it.

Read more at http://www.rd.com/advice/saving-money/74-car-care-tips-to-keep-your-automobile-in-topnotch-condition/

Oil Change Options

Gas Saving Tips

Keep Your Engine Properly Tuned

Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4 percent, though results vary based on the kind of repair and how well it is done.

Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your mileage by as much as 40 percent.

Fuel Economy Benefit:	4%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings:	$0.15/gallon

 

Keep Tires Properly Inflated

You can improve your gas mileage by up to 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.3 percent for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.

The proper tire pressure for your vehicle is usually found on a sticker in the driver's side door jamb or the glove box and in your owner's manual. Do not use the maximum pressure printed on the tire's sidewall.

Fuel Economy Benefit:	Up to 3%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings:	Up to $0.11/gallon

 

Use the Recommended Grade of Motor Oil

You can improve your gas mileage by 1–2 percent by using the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1–2 percent. Using 5W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-20 can lower your gas mileage by 1–1.5 percent. Also, look for motor oil that says "Energy Conserving" on the API performance symbol to be sure it contains friction-reducing additives.

Fuel Economy Benefit:	1–2%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings:	$0.04–$0.07/gallon

 

NEW INFORMATION: Replacing a Clogged Air Filter on Modern Cars Improves Performance but Not MPG

A new study shows that replacing a clogged air filter on cars with fuel-injected, computer-controlled gasoline engines does not improve fuel economy but it can improve acceleration time by around 6 to 11 percent. This kind of engine is prevalent on most gasoline cars manufactured from the early 1980s onward.
Tests suggest that replacing a clogged air filter on an older car with a carbureted engine may improve fuel economy 2 to 6 percent under normal replacement conditions or up to 14 percent if the filter is so clogged that it significantly affects drivability.

The effect of a clogged air filter on diesel vehicles will be tested in the near future.

Note: Cost savings are based on an assumed fuel price of $3.72/gallon.

Read more at http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/maintain.shtml

Goodyear Retail Outlet

We can service, install, maintain, and warranty all Goodyear products. We also have access to over 40 other brands of tires. Click here for more info on all our tire specials http://mmauto.net/

Simple Tips To Avoid Breaking Down In Summer Heat

Excessive heat can be very damaging to your car (Credit: Bondesgaarde, Flickr).

This summer is one of the hottest in recent memory, and is already creating a flurry of awful news stories about people leaving their dogs and even their children in hot cars to overheat, and even die.

While we hope readers are using common sense about dogs and children, we know that car care in extreme heat is not always obvious, even when you consult that phone book in your glove box known as the owner's manual.

So here are some basic things you should know about caring for your car and avoiding unnecessary catastrophes or repairs.

1. If you battery is three years old, consider replacing it as a matter of preventive maintenance. Batteries get stressed in extreme temperatures, and the older they get, the more stressed they get.

2. Have your cooling service checked by a mechanic or the dealer if it has not been looked at in two years. This system is critical to keeping the engine cool and the air conditioning system working right. Let it break for lack of simple maintenance, and it is not cheap to fix or replace.

3. If you are driving, and especially if you are stuck in traffic, and the temperature light goes on and you are in the danger zone, turn off the air conditioner immediately and open the windows. If the light stays on, turn the temperature selector on the system to the hottest setting. This will redirect some of the heat that is trapped in the cooling system. If the light stays on, pull over and call road-side assistance. Stop driving. If the light goes off, you should be okay to drive the car to a mechanic.

4. Make sure you have fresh coolant in your radiator to start the summer, not just water. Have the radiator checked specifically for corrosion.

5. Look at your tires. If you have worn or cracked tires, you are asking for big trouble in very hot weather. Not only could you blow the tires, but a blow-out at high speeds could cause you to crash, rollover and possibly hit another vehicle.

6. If you drive long stretches of road on a summer road trip or business trip, keep a gallon jug of water somewhere in the car. It could come in handy if you have a radiator leak, or you get stuck waiting for help.

Copyright:  http://autos.aol.com/article/simple-tips-to-avoid-breaking-down-in-summer-heat/