1. When you see contaminants like dead bugs or bird droppings on the paint surface of your car, rinse them right away. Bird droppings have a high acidity that can eat into the clear coat. If not removed they can dig deep into your paint, leaving “scars” that can only be removed by sanding and repainting.
2. Don't wash your vehicle during the hottest part of the day. The soap and water dry much faster and can dull the finish.
3. ...[more]

A car battery provides the power needed to start your vehicle. It is a vital, mechanical component often overlooked. Batteries can fail without warning. There are steps that you can take to evaluate problems and restart your battery. For batteries to provide optimum performance, regular maintenance is necessary.

When Starting Your Vehicle

A dying car battery causes problems with your car starting, especially after the car sits for a few hours. If your car struggles to turn over, but then the engine starts up without a problem, the battery is likely the cause. If the battery has an extremely low charge, you may hear a clicking noise when you try to start up the engine, but the car will not start.

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One of the first clues you might have that you have an issue with your water pump is your temperature gauge. Is your engine running hot? Another clue is the strange sounds coming from your engine. After years of pumping coolant, you might hear a grinding or whining sound indicating your water pump is almost all pumped out.

Most of the time your shaft seal starts to leak or the impeller inside comes lose, wears down, or the blades wear down or erode. Leaks usually happen in the area where the water pump meets the engine. A leaking water pump causes the cooling system to lose coolant. If the leak goes undetected, the engine will overheat due to the loss of coolant. If your first clue that you have a problem is the temperature warning light comes on, turn the engine off immediately. Continuing to drive with an overheated engine can take you from what ...[more]

Why Starters Fail

It’s frustrating to go out and discover your car won't start. At first, it may not be clear that the starter is the issue - If the dash lights turn on when you turn the key to the "on" position, but your car won’t start, it’s likely your starter isn’t working. This confirms there are no problems with your battery, so the next possible issue is your starter. The engine may crank slower or not at all, slip, or make chattering noises when you try to start it. If you can hear the starter motor spinning, but the engine doesn't crank then something is keeping the pinion from engaging properly.

Often, it's because of damage to the internal gears or the electrical parts may malfunction ...[more]

Warning Lights - what you need to know.

Red Means Stop! Yellow/AMBER are telling you something needs attention and Blue/Green are not a reason to be concerned about immediate service.

On most new cars, the dashboard lights up like a Broadway theater marquee with a series of warning lights when the ignition is engaged. And while they typically go out after a second or two, if one or more of those signals remains illuminated, it’s usually a sign of trouble.

“Warning lights on the dashboard are simply that, warnings. If one of the lights stays on after you start your car, you could potentially have a problem and should have your vehicle inspected for needed repairs,” ...[more]

Transmission troubles can start with overheating. Even under normal driving conditions, transmission fluids wear out and require replacement. Heavy vehicle loads, towing trailers, stop and go traffic and hot weather accelerate fluid breakdown caused by higher transmission temperatures can also cause expensive parts to wear prematurely.

Checking fluid conditions can prevent failure. Your owner’s manual will tell you how often to change fluids, but checking fluid condition and the fluid level in your transmission is critical. Fluid that smells “burnt” or appe ...[more]

You probably don’t think about it much unless you’ve had a challenge with your car starting, but this little motor is vital to getting you where you need to go. It is small electric motor with a framework that ends in a gear. Your engine's flywheel has a ring gear that the starter gear, called the drive gear, engages. When the starter motor runs, it spins the drive gear, which turns the ring gear and the flywheel. That cranks the engine and starts the combustion cycle. 

In the early days of automobile history, cars were cranked by hand to get them starte ...[more]