mechanic services – Page 2 – Mike’s Brake & Alignment Shop

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Basic Tire Maintenance Every Driver Should Know

As the only thing between your car and the road, the tires carry quite a bit of pressure. With the amount of rotations they go through to the amount of air normally lost due to how often you drive, a lot can happen to cause excessive wear and tear on your tires. Keep reading to learn more about three of the basic tire maintenance steps every driver should know.

Check Tire Pressure

To ensure your gas mileage stays in a healthy range and you remain safe on the road, always check and fill your tire pressure. A car’s tires naturally lose about 1-2 psi every month which means continued neglect will result in a dangerous blow-out. Don’t risk your safety and the safety of others while on the road and check your tire pressure periodically.

Rotate Your Tires

Most mechanics recommend rotating your tires every 5-7,000 miles. This is due to the amount of wear most front wheel drive cars experience on their tires. By rotating your front tires to the rear and vice versa you will ensure an even better tread wear on your vehicle. Periodically rotating your tires will also allow you to maintain a good gas mileage. Not taking proper care of your vehicle’s tires will drastically reduce the gas mileage and performance of your car.

Mechanic rotating a car's tires. — Mechanic rotating a car’s tires.

Perform a Visual Inspection

Visual inspections of your tires are a handy way to ensure the tread is still within safety limits. While it is never a good sign that you can tell your tires are going flat, simply taking the time to inspect them will allow you to address any issues. Performing a visual inspection of your tires is an excellent way to spot any cuts or bulges on them.

Thoughts

From simply checking the tire pressure to using proper tire rotation schedules and even visual inspections, you will be able to keep a proper eye on your tire’s wear and tear. Be sure to call on the team at Mike’s Brake & Alignment Shop for all of your vehicle needs. Call us today to schedule an exceptional tire service!

Everything You Need to Know About Auto Diagnostics

October 25, 2018 / admin / 1 Comment

Just like us, our vehicles require regular maintenance and checkups to ensure they’re constantly running at peak performance. In much the same vein as a doctor’s visit, auto diagnostic tests can detect problems before they’re given the chance to evolve into something more troubling.

While that may be the case, many drivers can be understandably skeptical of regularly bringing in their vehicle for an auto diagnostics test. After all, doesn’t the “maintenance required” light exist to let us know when it’s time to see a mechanic? Not quite. In many cases, the maintenance required light can show up well after your vehicle has already suffered an unknown breakdown. And with that in mind, we offer up this brief rundown of the auto diagnostic process and its benefits. We hope this helps in convincing you why preventative maintenance can do both you and your vehicle a world of good!

What is a Diagnostic Test?

If you were asked which the most important advancement in automobile construction is, how would you answer? For us personally, we would easily say the computerization of parts and components. Including computer processors, sensors, and microchips in our current engines allows us the opportunity to diagnose problems without having to break apart pieces and take a physical look. In a short and sweet summation, that’s auto diagnostic testing.

Using a computer system that links to the vehicle’s processors and systems, mechanics are able to accurately pinpoint prospective breakdowns before they leave you stranded on the side of the road.

What Gets Tested?

The beauty behind diagnostic testing is that it reveals structural compromises in practically all of a vehicle’s major components. Everything from your transmission and exhaust system to your brakes and fuel injector are checked for even the slightest disturbance.

While this service may sound too good to be true, a diagnostics run won’t spell out the exact problem that triggered that pesky “check engine” light. It will simply show a trained mechanic which parameters are out of their normal range. With that information, a trained specialist will be able to more accurately determine the vehicle’s issue.

What Are the Benefits?

Time is one of the biggest factors when it comes to diagnosing an automobile’s malfunction. And with computerized diagnostics, time is exactly what you save. Now that the process doesn’t involve invasive procedures and constant tests and trials, drivers no longer have to worry about time and budget consuming mechanic services! Instead of waiting to come in when the problem is at its worst, vehicle owners can responsibly come in for preventative maintenance. Couple that with the accuracy and comprehensive servicing computer diagnostics provide, and it’s easy to see just how beneficial the process can be as a whole.

Common Causes For a Check Engine Light

March 27, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments

Although our check engine lights are meant to help us diagnose problems with our car, more often than not, seeing that light pop up on our dash can leave us just as ignorant if not more so than before! With so many different issues that can be linked to that infamous light, how can drivers be expected to go down the list and find the one ailing their vehicle?

Fortunately for those dreading the idea of being left in the dark until their visit to the mechanic, there are a few common reasons that cause that light to rear its head. Read on for some of the more common issues linking back to that light and see if you can get a head start on discovering the cause of your car’s problem before having it confirmed with engine diagnostics.

Spark Plugs

Damaged spark plugs are a very common sight for most mechanics and one of the first things checked when you car’s check engine light brightens up. For those a little lacking in their familiarity with how their car runs, the spark plugs are responsible for igniting the air and fuel in combustion chamber to ignite the vehicle when it starts. If these crucial components become worn down your car’s fuel economy can take a noticeable plummet. In addition, damaged spark plugs, if left unchecked for long, can go on to further damage other fixtures like catalytic converters and ignition coils.

If you notice your check engine light is followed by higher fuel consumption, a misfiring engine, and trouble starting your car, you might be looking at some damaged plugs that need some attention.

Oxygen Sensor

Your oxygen sensor is what measures the amount of un-burned oxygen remaining in a car’s exhaust. If damaged, your engine can easily begin consuming more fuel than necessary to get it moving. In addition to the lost fuel economy, like the spark plugs, a damaged oxygen sensor can go on to damage other fixtures in the vehicle like the converter.

Unfortunately, a variety of symptoms pertaining to a damaged oxygen sensor are also experienced in the case of damaged spark plugs. If you’ve experienced rough engine idle and misfires or increased gas consumption along with you check engine light, it would be wise to visit a mechanic to get to the bottom of the cause.

Catalytic Converter

Without getting too technical, your catalytic converter is what converts harmful carbon monoxide into carbon dioxide. That being said, a malfunctioning converter is just as harmful to others around your vehicle as it is to you. If this happens to be what’s causing your check engine light to show, failing to have it checked can cause you to fail future emission tests and diminish your vehicle’s performance and lifespan.

Conclusion

It’s no surprise that your car is an infinitely complex piece of machinery. So much so that even tools like our check engine light only rule out a few prospective issues. If you notice that your vehicle is acting strangely and your dash is visited by some concerning lights, consider these three issues and receive the aid of a diligently trained mechanic to have them addressed and alleviated in no time flat!

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