Winter tires ?

It's transition time ! Anyone living in the great white north knows this all to well. This is the time of year when you can go from hero to zero all to fast..... We all know that guy or girl who thinks they can tackle the first snow fall better than anyone else on the road. Sure we have all seen or met this person a time or two, scary right ? I just let them go because my life and the love of my family is far more important. I had used all season tires for a long time before the change, I made to snow tires. This change to snow tires has been one of the best decisions . There has been an incredible difference in the feel and grip I have during winter driving. Keep in mind this won't keep you on the road better if you drive over your head like the hero's we see . If you like the feel of a safe handling vehicle then winter tires are going to serve you very well ! There are many manufactures of winter tires Uniroyal,Michelin, B F Goodrich, Goodyear etc each having their own unique tread design for performance to traction. Check for traction and wear when buying winter tires. Mounting winter tires on steel wheels is a great benefit and makes the change from good weather tires to winter very easy. Yes there is a cost factor in buying winter tires ! But the wear factor on both summer and winter tires makes this a safe and smart investment !!! Staying safe on the road year round is the lesson to be learned .......the comfort you will have from winter tires makes it all worth it. From start to stop , from hero to zero the choice is all yours !

Rust spot ! Where ?

One day there it is a rust spot or spots.
It goes without saying, if you show your vehicle's exterior some attention, you would have seen that rust spot much sooner. It makes my head hurt to see someone driving a new car that cost's real money, as they all do and leave it look like its 5 years old already. It might be possible that money does grow on tree's ? But I don't think so ! Cheap maintenance for your car is that simple wash......This is a great way to inspect the car's exterior for small stone chips and surface rust. Chips after time will turn into rust depending on where they are.
It is far better to stop these small area's from growing into large and ugly rust spots. It does not matter what kind of car or truck or whatever you drive by simply caring for the exterior long lasting paint and body life will be the result. Some undercoating would always prove a great investment towards your investment. More on undercoating in future blog. Remember when trading that car in with a great shine will always give better money , it will show that you care about the purchase you made years ago and the new or future purchase you make. I have never been able to find that money tree ! I have been able to maintain newer and older vehicle's for long periods of time with some simple TLC. Drive safe !!!

Belt Inspection

It's a cool morning you fire up your car, or truck, or mini van, suv !!!Whatever...... Where is that sound again, give it a rev up....Hum! it's gone, maybe not. This can be the life of a belt !!!! Is it noisy or not ? Under the hood of today's vehicles running just about everything is a belt (Serpentine or Multi grove, v-belt , timing belt , But rest assured it a belt of some kind. These belts are routed through pulley's, idler's, tension or tensioner's and running power steering, water pumps, A/C, air pumps etc. There is so much running from a single belt that the wear factor is very high. Doing a proper belt inspection is very IMPORTANT to your engine !!! Timing belt's can snap in half or just blow apart, sending the engine's valves in a dangerous direction. Now you might be lucky if you don't have an interference engine, But if you do! the valve or valve's are going to get bent out of shape, and it's off with the head or worse. Timing belt's should never be run more than 100,000 km after that the life of the belt is anyone's guess. A serpentine or multi-groove belt won't produce that kind of damage, but can or will leave you on the roadside. Inspection of the serp belt is easy.....as the routing of the belt is seen under the hood on a diagram. Check the groove side of belt for cracks, if you see many cracks in a 1 to 2 inch lenght of the belt change it. Inspect the idler and tension pulley or pulley's , worn bearings will fail in time and be very noisy at the least. Have your mechanic change it OR do it yourself!!! This is very important to the engine as far as the cooling system. Some engine's run the water pump with the timing belt or the serp belt........ Getting hot is never good. The days of the v-belt are going going
gone very soon . A regular inspection under the hood will be a sure way to avoid costly expenses.
So go ahead and have a look at that noise !!!You will be glad you did!

P S Your transmission

Just imagine you change your engine oil and filter every 5,000 km or 3,000 mil...... But our transmission's have this unbelievable oil and filter that seems to last forever. Probably not! " right" Well some of us think so, We drive our vehicle every day starting and stopping many times over. It is not uncommon for the filter and oil never to be changed !!! Yet we would never do this to the engine because the wear signs would show up fast. Why do we do this to the transmission ? It keeps on working and is somewhere under the car or truck or ....... Ya! good deal "NO". The fluid and filter in your transmission is very important, it get's very hot them cold when not in use . Oil , all oil will break down, so have the fluid and filter changed at least every 40 to 50,000 km. Have it done by a pro, your mechanic, or handy father, or tinker buddy. For the love of your transmission do it !!! If that tranny ever stops working you will say that was the biggest piece of S%^* I ever owned.... But it will be your own fault, so show your transmission you care !!!

Poor visibility

Is Night driving visibility important ?
Bet your safety, your family and others on the road.
See and be seen..... Over time headlight bulbs loose power, weather a bulb or sealed beam it happens. Over 90% of the vehicles on the road today have composite headlight assembles formed out of plastic. Reason being any desired shape can be made with plastic to fit any vehicle style. Plastic you say , gravel roads , winter salt and sand spray, ouch!!!These headlight assembles have bulbs, one single bulb or two bulbs. Aftermarket upgrade bulbs are available with more power, better distance and visibility. These upgrades are a great choice for better night vision, but sometimes or too many times the headlight assembly is badly pitted or cloudy, due to years of driving in all weather conditions. When this is the case" NO" bulb will help provide better vision, take action you and your family are worth it !!!
There are many different types of plastic polish or lens restore kits available, I would recommend a polish first. Use the polish 3 to 4 times to get the results you need, if polish does not seem to be working use lens restore. The worse case replacement of the headlight assembly, is it worth doing? You bet your safety, your families safety and others "Drive safe"

Oh no my tires

How could that happen ? Felt just fine on the way to work.... Oh #@*^ a flat !
Maybe I should have checked my tire pressure ? Yes a good idea after it goes flat or not ?
Take the time to check your tire pressure. Don't rely on someone else, do it yourself !!! A regular routine of checking the pressure is IMPORTANT.
You can see much before it happens: worn edge, low pressure, cut in the sidewall, choppy profile, and so on. It could be time for an alignment. Proper tire pressure is a safety factor, each tire has the best tire pressure on the sidewall for that tire. All tire manufactures have done the homework on the best tire pressure for that tire on your car. Run the pressure they have indicated on the tire !! Don't run what looks good, run what it should be. Your tire life will be much greater.
Weather conditions play a factor cold or warm, check your tires when they are cool before adding air. It is a very small portion of the tire on the road, so take care of it

need wiper blades

Streaking, jumping, smearing...
Maybe it's time for some wiper blades ? Just bought them ? Make sure you are happy with them
If you are not take them back and complain !!! Any good auto parts store will make you happy, like a popular auto parts store or ,where ever you like or buy!!!Make sure they or you have installed them correctly. Don't be afraid do it yourself.
Clean your windshield to remove wax or contaminates this will start your new wiper blades off on the right track. We never seem to care on a sunny day.....But when it rains wiper blade sales go straight up.
Check your wiper blade edges for cracks or the edge coming loose.... Go ahead and change them you'll be glad you did... See and be seen, better safe than sorry

check my oil ?

Check my oil ?
Why would I check my oil, it started this morning.....
To many of us don't think we need to check our oil level !
I don't have to my mechanic does it for me..... WOW ! scary but true. To many of us don't even know if we have a 4cyl,6cyl,8cyl....WOW ! Yes this is true. Wonder why the repair shop bill was so high? By checking your oil level once a week , you have peace of mind and notice a problem before it happens, or get's costly $$$
You probably took time when you bought your car..... So take some time and check your oil and fluid levels....WOW ! You might even learn something
Happy motoring

simple car care

Simple car care is simple !!!
Best and least expensive way is a wash. Yes .....a car wash. The exterior of your car is very important.
By simply washing your car,truck, or van, you are removing dirt, acid's, salt ,grime. this will leave your car's paint clean, dirt free. not only enhancing the appearance, but allowing the finish to breath. Believe it or not a clean car is more air stream than a dirty car. Not to mention the "wash me" rubbed onto the dirty paint in the parking lot !!!
Yes the simple car wash will prolong the paint's life for years. Keeping your investment looking good for many years. Yes I know , I don't have time to wash my car ! Use a coin wash or automated car wash......For best results the good old hand wash works best.. You will notice small defects or rust far sooner. So go ahead show your car some simple love......wash it.