What Are Wheel Weights?
Did you know that every single automobile’s rims are clipped with wheel weights during the process of balancing tires? No matter the year, make, age, or model of your vehicle, wheel weights are required to properly balance your vehicle to avoid a wobbling or bouncing feeling.
Continue reading “LEAD OUT | ZINC IN: Why Luke’s Auto Made the Switch to Lead-Free Wheel Weights”
If taken care of properly, your vehicle is meant to last a very long time. The way you accomplish this is through preventive vehicle maintenance and by replacing worn items before they break. Proactive car care will also help you avoid unexpected vehicle break downs and repair bills. Your vehicle will run the way it was meant to run, and you will be confident it’s safe to drive. By doing the 8 things outlined in this blog post, you will definitely be able to keep your vehicle on the road for a long time.
Continue reading “8 Vehicle Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Vehicle on the Road Longer”
If you are asking the question, “What’s wrong with my car?,” most likely you have been noticing that something doesn’t seem quite right. Perhaps your vehicle is making some odd sounds. Maybe one of the dashboard warning lights came on. You may even be smelling something odd while driving. Regardless of the problem, there are some thing you can do to help make the repair process go a lot smoother.
Think of the warning lights on your dashboard as your friend. They are there to tell you a message about what is going on with a particular system in your engine. When one comes on, there’s a definitely problem. While some dashboard warning lights are alerting you to non-critical engine problems, there are several others that need to be heeded as soon as you see them light up. In this blog post, we will refer to these a critical warning lights because if you continue to drive your vehicle, you risk serious engine damage… or worse! It could be a safety hazard to you and others.
Continue reading “Do You Know What Your Dashboard Lights are Telling You?”
Many vehicle owners are unaware of just how important the belts and hoses are to the engine. Because they are constantly in use while your vehicle is running, they undergo a lot of wear and tear. Belts are responsible for powering parts like the water pump, power steering pump, air conditioning and more. The timing belt is critical to the proper operation of the crankshaft. Lastly, the hoses deliver vital engine fluids to keep parts lubricated and from overheating. What happens when the belts and hoses aren’t replaced before they break? Read on to find out about why it’s so important to replace belts and hoses.
What comes to mind when someone mentions the exhaust system? Do you think they are referring to the tailpipe and muffler? Yes, the exhaust system includes those parts, but it’s also a detailed system of chambers and pipes that help protect you and your passengers from breathing in harmful gases. In addition, it minimizes the impact of those harmful gases on the environment. In this blog post, you will learn about the exhaust system and the signs you need exhaust system repair. Also discussed will be why you should take care of any exhaust system repairs right away along with ways you can maintain this engine system.
Continue reading “Is your vehicle’s exhaust system running properly?”
Depending on the season of year, we adjust our clothing to the weather conditions and temperatures. Most people wouldn’t wear shorts and flip-flops when it’s cold and snowing outside (there is always that exception to the rule 😉). The same holds true for your vehicle. Harsh, cold weather can take its toll on vehicle systems. That’s why it’s important to make sure your vehicle is ready to handle New Jersey’s winter weather conditions. By doing these 5 things, you can avoid some of the more common problems that occur with vehicles during the winter months. Continue reading “Winter Car Care: Do These 5 Things to Make Sure Your Vehicle is Ready”
Because of advances in technology, today’s vehicles sometimes give the impression that they are maintenance-free. They aren’t. In fact, if you want to keep your vehicle running its best, there are major systems that need to be maintained on a regular basis. We all know it’s important to change the engine oil and filter on a regular basis. Unfortunately, many tend to neglect the maintenance of their vehicle’s cooling system. This blog post will explain what can happen to your vehicle if the cooling system is not maintained.
Continue reading “These Things Can Happen if You Don’t Take Care of Your Cooling System”
Most vehicles sold in the United States are equipped with a safety feature known as the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). The reason for their existence dates back to 2007, when the government passed legislation requiring their use in response to a surge in accidents caused by under-inflated tires. The purpose of the TPMS is to alert you when one or more of your vehicle’s tires is significantly under-inflated. In this blog post, we will discuss how the TPMS works and what to do when the tire air pressure warning light comes on.
Every time you turn the key in the ignition, several computers communicate to all the engine systems to control their operation. As you begin to drive, all these computers work together to perform precise adjustments on how your vehicle is responding to different factors, like the speed you are driving, how much air and fuel to mix together, the engine temperature and more. When something isn’t running quite right and your vehicle starts to emit more pollutants, the on-board diagnostic (OBD II) system sends a signal that triggers the Check Engine or Service Engine Soon light. If this light is on, there is a problem with engine performance.
Continue reading “The Check Engine Light – Why it turns on and what you need to do about it”