Maintaining Present Vehicle May Make Financial Sense
Although you may want to get rid of your present vehicle in favor of a new car, taking better care of your current set of wheels may make much more sense in the long run-helping you achieve a goal of financial freedom.

Is it time to have your battery tested? Excessive heat and overcharging are the two main reasons for shortened battery life. Heat causes battery fluid to evaporate, this damaging the internal structure of the battery. A malfunctioning component in the charging system allows too high a charging rate. That's slow death for a battery. More road service calls are received during cold weather so stop in and let us test your system so you will be ready for the colder months. Consider value not price. With the electronics on today's vehicles it is important to purchase the right battery. Purchasing the wrong battery can create problems by not supplying enough voltage or reserve capacity to properly power your electrical system causing very expensive repairs. We offer 18 month free replacement and a national warranty on our batteries.

Avoiding a Stalled Vehicle The stalled car syndrome, more noticeable on our roadways than in our driveways, has been with us for generations. Beyond missed appointments or being late for work it also results in the condition known as road rage. Not only can a disabled vehicle have an annoying "ripple effect" that goes beyond the immediate scene; it can be disastrous for the driver who is left vulnerable to roadside crime or to the elements. An old battery or badly worn tire has its way of forewarning us that it's going to let us down, but we tend to wait for the inevitable. Most failures are due to owner neglect and can be corrected at little or no cost. Routine maintenance can prevent mechanical breakdowns and it ensures the optimum safety and efficiency of our vehicles.

Be sure to update your email and home address when you visit us next time, we will be sending reminders to help you keep up with your inspection renewals.

Oh, Say Can You See Statistics show that almost half of traffic fatalities happen at night. Most of these are usually blamed on reduced driver vision. Make sure you keep your headlamps as clear and clean as possible. At night, our visual perception can be reduced by up to 70%, so you can imagine how much harder it is to see the road ahead if your headlamps are clouded over or hazy. Because most vehicles have plastic headlamp lenses, clouding is a serious problem. Over time, headlight lenses can become yellowed and clouded by the effects of sunlight, pollution, car wash chemicals, and road grit. This blocks the light output and reduces overall headlamp performance, cutting down the driver's visibility. If your vehicle has cloudy headlamps, you have two choices: a headlamp replacement, which can costs hundreds of dollars, or an inexpensive lens restoration. Our technicians are equipped with the latest technology from 3M to restore headlight clarity and performance. The light output will improve, and so will your car's overall appearance.

Q: My tire sidewall calls for 35 psi of air, but my owner's manual recommends 32 psi. Which is correct?
Always defer to your owner's manual for the correct tire pressure. A quicker reference may be a sticker or silver placard, which you'll find in your door jamb, glove compartment or fuel door. The psi on the tire sidewall is actually the maximum inflation for the tire. It doesn't take your vehicle into account. Overinflated tires affect ride quality and often lead to premature suspension and tire wear. Remember to check your spare tire pressure periodically-especially before a long trip. You never know when you're going to need it, and even though it's not being used, it will lose air through the years.