Spring/Summer

When it comes to vehicle safety, the brakes top the list of systems that need to be routinely inspected and repaired immediately should motorists suspect any problems. According to the Car Care Council, a properly operating brake system helps ensure safe vehicle operation and control under a variety of conditions. However, many people are unaware of the signs and symptoms that their brake system may need maintenance or repair.

Brake pads will tell you when they need replacement, but rotors are a different story.  

Your car’s TPMS can save lives and fuel - but it needs to be maintained. If your vehicle was made after 2002, chances are pretty good that it has a Tire Pressure Monitoring System. Mandated by the Federal Government as a standard safety feature on all 2008 cars, vans, or light trucks, millions of TPMS equipped cars are already rolling on US roads. This system constantly monitors your car’s tire pressure and alerts you if it falls below a preset limit.

While the increasing complexity of today's cars, light trucks, and SUVs has put many tasks beyond the capabilities of light do-it-yourselfers (DIYers), filter changes can still be easily handled by most DIYers. In fact, the opportunity for car owners to change their own filters is actually growing, thanks to a design change in newer vehicles that includes never-before-used filters that clean the air you breathe.  

If you are driving a vehicle with cabin air filters you are in luck, especially if you reside in a metropolitan area where air pollution levels are high or if you suffer from a respiratory condition such as asthma or seasonal allergies.  

Cabin air filters capture potentially harmful particulates so they are not recycled into the passenger compartment and compromise the driving comfort of the people in the vehicle.  

Back in the good ol’ days, automotive air filters were simple to find; they sat right on top of the engine in a round metal container. All you had to do was unscrew a wing nut, lift off the lid, and lift out the round air filter element. A quick wipe of the debris out of the bottom of the housing, and you could drop in the new filter, replace the lid and wing nut, and be on your way.

Dust, dirt and grime are all enemies to the longevity and efficient performance of your vehicle's engine. To prevent engine damage, your vehicle is equipped with various filters – air and oil among them.  

Statistics gathered at a recent National Car Care Month inspection campaign conducted by the Car Care Council show that 30 percent of the vehicles failed because they had low, overfull, or dirty engine oil. ‘Clean’ oil is the life-blood of any engine and changing it and the oil filter frequently is what keeps the vehicle’s engine running smoothly, mile after mile.

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.