How Does My Car Starter Work

August 17th, 2020
Your car starter works like any electric motor. There are fixed magnets with opposite poles on either side of the framework. The framework acts as an electromagnet. It has two plates one on each side called commutators.
 
The commutators accept a charge from the battery through steel brushes or fixed copper that touch them. This action turns the framework into a two-pole magnet. Each pole of the framework is repelled by its identical-pole fixed magnet and attracted by the opposite pole magnet.
 
The side of the framework with the positive charged commutator will spin toward the north magnet and the side of the armature with the negatively charged commutator will spin toward the south magnet. The b ...[more]

Am I Wasting Money on Car Maintenance?

August 17th, 2020

In today’s economy, we talk to a lot of drivers who are not only trying to keep their vehicles longer, but also need to save money wherever they can. Motor and transmission are the two largest expenses that require regular maintenance. Check your owner’s manual for these critical items. These items are much less expensive things you can do to diminish the wear and tear on you motor and transmission—even extending the life of your car.

Oil Change - Driving in Arizona qualifies for “extreme” ...[more]

  Tags: auto care, Auto Repair

Recirculation Air Button

August 17th, 2020

Most people never use the re circulation button in their car because they don’t know exactly when they should use it. It’s that button with the arrow that looks like a return button. It determines where the air you’re using to heat or cool the cabin of your car with come from. With the button off, fresh air comes from outside the car. When you have the button on, you’re using the air within the car.

In the summer heat, the re circulation button will generally cool you off faster and help your car stay cooler because you’re not pulling the outside heat in, but instead, you’re drawing the cooler air in through your cooling system. Your cooling system has to work continuously to cool the air from the outside.

In the winter, recircul ...[more]

  Posted in: Auto Repair 101

Reciculation Air Button - Locker Room Smells

August 17th, 2020

Reciculation Air Button - Locker Room Smells

One of our customers came in with his teenage son because the airflow from his air conditioner made it nearly impossible to breathe while running the air. “It smells like a high school football team’s locker room,” he said. “Worse than that,” his son chimed in.

They had just moved to Tucson from Amarillo, Texas. Upon investigation the technician began to ask some questions. “Do you always leave the recirculation air button on,” the tech asked the young man. “Well, yes, I always have. You don’t ...[more]

  Posted in: Auto Repair 101

Prevent Loss by Locking Your Car

August 17th, 2020

Prevent Loss by Locking Your Car

Based on improving technology, vehicle thefts are dropping overall. Since we started recording this figure, thefts have dropped over 20% and are now around 770,000 cars according to FBI statistics.

Surprisingly, the reason for most of the thefts are preventable. Most commonly these vehicles have keys or key fobs left inside the unlocked vehicles. Despite great gains in technology and security, we are our own worst enemy and common sense seems to be the driving cause of these losses. Many people want to think ...[more]

  Tags: auto care

Making Sure Your Car’s Air Conditioning is Running Properly

August 17th, 2020

Making Sure Your Car’s Air Conditioning is Running Properly

Once a luxury feature, air conditioning is now considered essential in today’s cars and trucks. Try and imagine living through one of Arizona’s sizzling summers without it. Though most motorists pay little heed to their car or truck’s climate control, a modicum of care and maintenance is necessary to ensure the system doesn’t falter when it’s needed the most.

For starters, even if the weather is temperate, be sure to run the air conditioner for at least 10 minutes every week to help maintain the correct coolant pressure and ensure the system’s compressor is working properly.

...[more]

3 Reasons Your Car May Be Overheating

August 17th, 2020

Summer heat is brutal in Tucson and precautions should be made to prevent overheating. The three items listed below are common problems that cause overheating,

  1. LOW COOLANT – check the radiator tank and overflow reservoir—it sounds obvious, but it is number one for a reason.
  2. BAD FAN OR FAN CLUTCH - The fan pulls air through the cooling fins of the radiator, no airflow at low speeds causes overheating.
  3. BAD THERMOSTAT VALVE - It regulates engine heat by opening and closing, based on coolant temperature. Valves that get stuck prevent coolant from flowing through the ...[more]

Is Your Air Conditioner Stressed?

August 17th, 2020
Link to air conditioner maintenance special included

Cell Phone Users - Distracted Driving Still a Problem

August 17th, 2020

Cell Phone Users - Distracted Driving Still a Problem

Back in 2016, USA Today reported more than 112 million cell phone users in the US and 85% being used while driving, by 2018 the estimate was nearly double that at 224 million users. Today that number is more than 260.2m.

The recent data from the National Highway Safety Transportation administration shows 3,166 fatalities were the result of distracted driving (in 2017). Among the most distracted were drivers 20-29 years in age where 19% of fatalities occurred with distracted a driver, nearly 40% of those drivers were using cell phones.

As of 2018, 48 states, D.C., ban messaging for all drivers. All but ...[more]

  Tags: Distracted Driving
  Posted in: Community News

Social Distancing Behind the Wheel

August 13th, 2020
Your vehicle is a good way to maintain social distance compared to taking the bus, train or a taxi. If you are traveling in a vehicle with other people, you can still ensure that social distancing is being practiced by sitting at the far opposite side of the car (2m or 6 feet separation). You also need to consider how many people are in the cab, perhaps using a larger vehicle to provide more distance between occupants and always ensure good ventilation by keeping windows open where possible.
 
Social distancing simply means keeping a safe distance away from other people and includes measures such as not shaking hands and staying about 6 feet away from other people. In your vehicle, staying 6 feet apart is difficult, but there are other preventative measures you can take.  There should also be routine cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched objects and surfaces such as door handles, steering wheels, and controls. Of course wearing ...[more]
  Tags: Auto Repair
  Posted in: Auto Repair 101
<< Previous 1234567 Next >>