New Products and Services

How to Perform Your Own Brake Job

By Mark Salem, ASE Master Tech and Owner/Operator Salem Auto Boys, Tempe, AZ

When you decide to perform your own brake job, just remember, this is one of the few car repairs that, if done wrong, can really cause serious injury or death of your kin and others.

So let’s talk about the important steps of a successful front disc brake repair.

We play the odds with practically everything we do in life, whether it’s something as mundane as turning on the tap for hot water or driving through a nasty thunderstorm at night. According to the website http://funny2.com the chance of dying from contact with hot tap water is 1 in approximately 5 million, and the chance of being killed by lightning is about 1 in 2.3 million! On the more positive side, the odds of finding out that your child is a genius are much higher – 1 in 250.

Your car’s windshield protects you against stones, bugs, sand, grit and other roadside debris. Your car’s windows protect you from heat, cold, rain and snow. Your car’s brakes protect you from dangerous collisions. … No less important is your car’s cabin air filter which is designed to ‘safeguard’ your respiratory health and well being – especially when the windows are rolled up and the A/C or heating is turned on

Our cars are a substantial investment, and regular maintenance helps protect that investment.  A regular oil change is a relatively inexpensive form of preventive maintenance and helps avert premature engine wear and extend the life of your vehicle.  Recommended intervals for an oil change range from every 3,000 miles to 10,000 for newer vehicles.  Ultimately it should depend on the age of your vehicle and your personal driving habits.

Small changes can add personality to your vehicle without breaking the bank. And it’s easier than you may think. The internet puts thousands of decorative and protective automotive parts at your fingertips. A quick internet search reveals a myriad of options for any vehicle. Maybe you’d like the look of a grill insert or stainless steel rocker panels or the protection provided by body side moldings or a bug shield. For the high-performance look, you can choose an air dam, side vent or hood scoop.

Vehicle braking systems have finally received the attention that they have needed for many years. Modern technology has delivered a solution for vehicles that will keep their wheels shining and brake noise to a whisper, while still allowing drivers to experience the performance they expect. Motorists can now start their weekends with a quiet ride around town instead of a morning of scrubbing brake dust off their wheels.

There has been a lot of talk, news and claims surrounding Ceramic brake pads in recent years. We would like to shed some light on the term and its proper meaning.

TRICO Products announces the availability of new Exact Fit® Wiper Blades engineered to fit the unique pinch tab arms on current vehicles including the: BMW 5 and 6 Series; Buick Lucerne; Mercedes-Benz ML, R and SLK Class; Pontiac G6; and Volvo S, V and XC Series. The new blades also will accommodate future vehicles such as the 2007: Audi Q7; Cadillac Escalade; Chevrolet Avalanche, Suburban and Tahoe; GMC Yukon; Mercedes-Benz GL Class; and Saturn Aura.

Properly balanced wheels have long been recognized to help provide improved ride quality, better gas mileage and reduced tire wear, making wheel balancing an important part of car care and maintenance.

For decades wheel weights have largely consisted of chunks of lead clamped to the wheel rim. Lead has traditionally been used to make wheel weights because it is cheap and heavy, allowing the use of relatively small weights to balance wheels. However, the highly toxic metal can cause brain damage and other nervous-system disorders in people.