Summer Tech Tips
Brake Fluid: The brake system in your vehicle requires clean, non-contaminated brake fluid to work effectively. Brake fluid is hygroscopic meaning that water will chemically bond to and contaminate the fluid, lowering the boiling point of the fluid and potentially brake failure. Contaminated fluid is also hard on the brake system’s hydraulics and can cause expensive repairs. We recommend changing your brake fluid on average every 24,0000 to 36,000 miles or every two years, to maintain the safety of your braking system. We also are now able to test your brake fluid electronically and can give you an actual moisture content reading.
Garage Your Car for Longer Life: Do you have access to a garage or carport where you can store your car when you are not using it? The cars that we see that last the longest, look the best and have lower repair costs are invariably cars that get to sleep in a garage. If you have access to a garage and can get your car into it on a daily basis the benefit will come back to you ten fold. Even a carport will extend your car’s life.
Rodents Wreak Havoc Under the Hood : We frequently see rodent scat and nesting material under the hood of the cars we service, particularly the 5 cylinder Volvos and 4 cylinder Subarus. These guys can cause quite a bit of harm should they chew on a critical hose, wire, or electrical component. It is a good idea to occasionally open the hood and inspect for rodent debris. Our shop protocol, should we see signs of critters, is to soak the debris down with a water/bleach mix, clean the mess and then install several moth balls under the hood. The moth ball tip came from a customer who lives on Vashon Island and was out of the country for 2 years, storing his P1800 while he was gone. He “moth balled” the car, and no bad guys bothered it in his absence, nor are moth balls likely to harm a pet.
Traveling this Summer?: If you are using your car for traveling this summer and want it looked over before you go, please be sure to call at least three weeks before your trip so we can put it in tip top shape before your adventure.
New Driver in the House?: Do you have a beginning driver in your house? It is absolutely critical that this person gets good training and lots of “seat time’ with an instructor that is fanatical about safe, courteous driving. We have personal experience with and can recommend a company called Swerve (www.goswerve.com, 1-877-7SWERVE). This is one of the most critical investments a parent can make and it may in fact save a life or serious injury.
Another test I recommend is to have your new driver learn what it takes to stop and turn a car if the engine is off. This can be done safely in a wide open space like a large, empty parking lot by simply turning off the engine while the car is moving and have them drive and stop the car with no steering or braking assist. Don’t remove the key or the steering will lock, just turn the key far enough that the engine dies. Most kids will be amazed at how much force is needed to stop and turn a car with the engine off.
How to Avoid a Break In: We have a customer who has a beautiful 2001 Volvo V70. I dropped him off at his house recently, parking the car in the alley behind the house and was instructed to leave the car unlocked! Initially I was quite shocked but on reflection realized the beauty of his habit. He simply never leaves anything of value in the car. The worst he’s going to experience is a rifled glove box. He will never have a smashed window, damaged door jamb or worse a cut convertible top. While we don’t condone leaving your car unlocked it is absolutely critical to never leave anything in your car, even if you will be gone for only a short time. The cars we see that have been broken in to invariably had a bag or some other article that caught the bad guy’s eye. The damage these guys can do is incredible and usually the cost to repair the damage far exceeds the value of the missing items. Plan ahead; if you are going to be parking somewhere and have no choice but to leave something in your car, put it in your trunk or rocket box before you arrive at your destination.
Take care of your car and it will take care of you!
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