All posts tagged auto maintenance

5 Ways to Keep Your Car in Good Shape This Summer

summer car

The summer is coming, and it is going to be hot. You have been waiting for the warm weather for months now. You cannot wait to get out and have loads of fun with your friends. Before you can truly enjoy your summer, your car is going to need some much needed maintenance attention from you. Here are five things you can do for your car to make summer easier on your ride.

Check Your Fluids

The temperature is getting warm for the summer. This transition can cause the fluids in your car to evaporate. By checking and topping off your car’s fluids, such as your transmission fluid, power steering fluid, coolant and windshield wiper fluid, you could be preventing performance problems with your car from giving you a headache this summer.

Change Your Oil

To keep your engine running smoothly, your car needs to have clean oil on a regularly scheduled basis. The summer is no exception—especially when it comes to preparing your car for the long, cross country family trip. If your engine has been sounding like it is working a little harder than usual, this could be a sign that your car’s oil change is long overdue.

Clean Your Engine and Engine Bay

As you are heading into the hot summer weather, this is the opportune time to give your engine and the engine bay of your car a much needed cleaning. Oil and dirt build up in these areas of your car can cause your engine to run hot. This is not good for your engine in the summer heat. By getting the dirt, oil and grime off of your engine and other areas of your engine bay, you will make it easier for your engine to remain cooler so it can perform better.

Protecting Your Paint Job

The sun will be beating down on your car this summer, and the excess heat can cause your paint job to fade. By using a slip over cover for your car, this can do a lot to keep direct sunlight off the surface of your car and protect your paint job in the process. Looking for metal carports for sale is another way to acquire a cover that can help to keep sunlight from constantly heating up your car and damaging the paint in the summer months.

Check Your Tire Pressure

When your tire pressure is off, this can cause everything from uneven wearing of your tires to a blow out that leaves you stranded on the side of the road. It is generally cheap to get a tire pressure gauge to keep around to test your tire pressure from time to time. Be sure to check your car manual to know what your car’s manufacturer recommends as the best tire pressure to rate your tires for when making this check.

Conclusion

You want your car to perform reliably for you during the summer months. As a responsible car owner, you will need to take the initiative to keep your car in good working order. By doing so, you will help to ensure that you will not be left stranded on the side of the road.

What Every Classic Car Owner Needs to Know to Protect Their Vehicle

classic car

Very few things in the world are as exciting as being handed the keys to a beautiful classic car. In addition to being fun projects, older cars can also be great investments as long as you keep them well-maintained. Here are a few tips and tricks that will help you protect your classic vehicle for many years to come.

Skip the Cheap Cleaning Products

When it comes to cleaning cars, it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. As a general rule, you should only use high-quality products that were specifically made to clean vehicles. Using dish detergent or an old rag to clean your car could strip away the protective sealant and scratch the underlying paint. Many classic car owners find it easier to hire an auto detailing specialist a few times a year.

Continue Schedule Regular Maintenance

One of the biggest mistakes that you can make with an older vehicle is letting it sit without any maintenance for more than a few weeks. Even if you aren’t regularly using the car, you should still have it serviced by a professional mechanic once every two or three months. You also need to drive it a few times a month to lubricate the motor, rotate the tires, and blow out any dust that has settled in the engine compartment.

Leave Major Projects to the Professionals

Unless you have quite a bit of experience working on vehicles, you should leave all major projects to a professional mechanic. Older vehicles are notoriously easy to work on, but you need to spend a few months familiarizing yourself with a car or truck before you work on it. Maintaining a relationship with a reputable mechanic is also going to make your life much easier when the vehicle breaks down or you need to order a custom part.

Get Specialty Car Insurance

An auto accident can happen in the blink of an eye, and that is why you need to contact an insurance provider, such as Marine Agency, to discuss your coverage options. Generic auto insurance might not be a good idea for older vehicles that actually go up in value every year. With a comprehensive classic car insurance policy, you won’t have to pay out of pocket for expensive parts and repairs.

Protecting and maintaining a classic car takes a lot of work, but the payoff is almost always worth it. As long as you remain proactive and don’t ignore your car for months, you should be able to avoid some of the most common problems that classic car owners run into.

3 Tips for Having the Perfect Space to Work on Your Dream Car

auto garage

If you have recently purchased the classic car of your dreams, you may have incredible plans to restore it to mint condition. This type of restoration project can take many months to complete. While this will be a labor of love that you may enjoy thoroughly, there is one thing that you need to focus on before you get started with the work. You need to create the ideal space to work on your car restoration project.

The Right Square Footage

Working on an auto restoration project is not something that you want to do in a tight space. You may need to raise the car at certain times, and you may need to swing all doors wide open at other times. You may also need to use specialized equipment a few feet or more away from the vehicle to prepare parts for installation. The minimum amount of space that you may need for this type of project is a two-car garage, but it is best to work in an even larger space if possible.

A Comfortable, Functional Environment

Regardless of whether you plan to work in your garage or in a separate structure on your property, you need this space to be perfectly comfortable to spend hours in. This means that you should consider installing an HVAC system through a company like Aggressive Mechanical Contractors, Inc. for year-round climate control. You also should have adequate ventilation for your health and safety. Both natural and artificial light are essential, and you will need access to water and electricity to complete many of the smaller projects related to your dream car restoration work.

A Secure Space

Your old and perhaps beat up car may not have much value right now. However, as you make regular improvements to it, its value can skyrocket. In addition, you may have expensive parts, tools, and equipment in your home workshop. Because of this, you need a way to secure your workshop when you are not in it. This should extend beyond a simple door lock. Keep any blinds on the windows closed when you are not working on the vehicle. Use a garage door open with a secure entrance feature. Ask a locksmith to upgrade your door locks as well.

It may have taken you time to find the right classic car to begin restoring, and it will undoubtedly require a substantial personal investment to complete the restoration project. The environment that you choose to work on your car will affect your comfort level, your ability to move around freely and your ability to secure the vehicle. Focus on each of these factors to create the ideal auto workshop.

Professional Car Repair Services at Your Disposal

auto maintenance

Cars require regular basic maintenance services such as replacing engine oil or oil filter, assessment and correction of car safety measures, checking and repairing the cooling system and much more. Occasionally, the car may suffer some damages due to collisions and accidents and they require denting, painting, replacement of major parts, mechanical repairing and electrical repairing.

In such cases, you need to consult with a reputed and experienced car repair service and they can easily repair and maintain your car in a proper way. But all you need to check their experience, license, certification and customer feedback before hiring.

#8 Features of Reputed Car Repair Services:

  • Genuine parts

    Reputed car repair services, stock only genuine spare parts manufactured by auto companies. There is no risk of the duplicity of spare parts when dealing with a reputed car repair agency. The customers are provided the authentic invoice from registered car dealers for the spare parts and they can also provide you limited warranty on these spare parts.

  • Inspection

    A comprehensive car inspection is conducted to identify all kinds of major and minor issues plaguing the vehicle. A complete inspection report is made based on the inspection listing all the required repair works and their estimated cost.

  • Online booking

    Many car repair services have started using the internet to connect with the customers. Such services offer the facility of booking the service online. The customers merely need to fill an online booking form. Customer will get their online confirmation through mail and they just need to attend the service center at the scheduled date and time. 

  • Monitoring the progress

    Most of the car repair services send frequent notifications on the mobile phones of their customers regarding the stage of the repair and the time left to complete the work. This is highly convenient for the customers. Even they can also provide you invoice details through mail and SMS. So, you will get the intimation from the car service on time and you can pick up your car within the scheduled date. 

  • Home service

    Home service can also be offered by a car repair agency. In this service, car mechanics are sent to the customer’s home or office. The mechanics come equipped with all the necessary tools, spare parts and other things to repair the car right in front of the customer.

  • Easy payment

    Apart from cash, the car repair services also accept credit/debit cards and online modes of payment. So, customer can choose any secured payment option according to their convenience. 

  • Bodywork

    Bodywork is required after a collision or accident which causes damage to the body of the car. Bodywork includes dent removal and repainting. Dents range from major to minor and require expert work to restore the car to its original condition. Replacement or repair of front or rear bumper, repairing/replacement of doors, and windshield replacement is necessary for any car and you need to repair these body parts by hiring reputed car repair service only. In case of serious accidents, bodywork can involve straightening the bent frame of the car.

  • Brake service

    Brakes can be considered to be one of the most important parts of a car. Brakes undergo wear and tear and get damaged over a period of time. Accidents can also cause significant damage to the brakes. Brake service usually comprises of replacements of brake pads, brake fluids, sensors and cylinders depending upon the severity of the damage.

The car repair services also provide additional services apart from the repair works such as cleaning the carpets, polishing and waxing the interior and exteri

How Regular Car Service Can Help You Save Money on Future Expenses

Buying a car is a valuable investment done for a long period of time and its maintenance is equally important to ensure a long life. This can be done through getting your car serviced regularly from a service center or any local mechanic. Although you can manage some small repair and maintenance duties yourself, it is preferable to get it done from a professional who has the expertise to carry out the job quickly and with precision. Such a routine service will not only save you from any additional expenses in the future, but can also increase the performance of your car.

Role of Routine Car Servicing

The importance of getting your car routinely checked and fixed and its pocket-friendly features include the following:

Tire Pressure

Since tires alone are said to consume up to 20% of a car’s energy, it is important to keep them maintained and ensure that they are inflated properly to reduce its consumption of energy. Moreover, under-inflated tires flex and produce heat when moved, resulting in wearing out and reducing its life span. The engine is also forced to burn more fuel to make an UN-inflated tire move. Thus, in order to save money on excess fuel consumption and repair of damaged tire, you should visit a mechanic regularly and get the tire pressure checked and filled to the recommended amount.

Engine

With the engine being considered as the heart of a car, it is important to get it checked regularly for any malfunctioning. The transmission is also an important feature that should be checked and repaired regularly as any fault in it can lead to your car breaking in the middle of the road while traveling which can be very inconvenient.

Oil Change

Oil is again one of the most important components in a car that lubricates the engine’s heavy parts for smooth functioning thereby reducing energy consumption, protects engine from heat, water, and other tiny particulates. Thus, to ensure that the car has an adequate content of oil and is protecting the engine from any wear and tear and is ensuring efficient burning of fuel, it should be changed from a professional as they would ensure the correct oil is used for your engine amongst the wide range of oils available.

Brake Repair

Faults in the brakes can be caused either due to low level of brake fluids or due to dirty brake pads that cause the brakes to squeak. Since such a fault can lead to major damage to the brake with time, further increasing the chance of a fatal accident, it should be checked regularly. You can get the fluid refilled and brake pads repaired from a mechanic timely to prevent any major damage.

Air Conditioning

The air conditioning in a car is another feature that poses frequent malfunctioning owing to prolonged use in the summers. To avoid this, you can get the dirty condenser of the AC cleaned regularly by a mechanic and save yourself from the expenses of getting it entirely replaced when the damage increases.

Thus, these features make it vital for you to get your car checked and repaired regularly as there are some minute features of a car which may show signs of a fault that you may not be able to detect or repair yourself. So, it is important to get routine car services from a professional mechanic and not only avoid expensive repair or replacement of parts in the future but also find a reduction in the cost-per-mile of your motoring as well.