Air Conditioning Maintenance At Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. In Middletown

Warm weather or cold, Middletown drivers still need to think about their mini-van’s air conditioning. Most Middletown people don’t service their air conditioning until after it fails. At Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc., we can advise you on your vehicle manufacturer's preventive maintenance schedules for air conditioning service, just as we do for transmission service, oil changes and so on.

Maintaining your air conditioning system means that you always have enough refrigerant to properly do the job. Small leaks in the mini-van's air conditioning system allow the refrigerant to escape and the system can’t cool the air as well. We see that a lot at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. in Middletown.

The refrigerant also contains a special oil that lubricates air conditioning components, and keeps the seals resilient. Low refrigerant and lubricating oil means that the air conditioning parts will wear out prematurely, and all Middletown car owners know that air conditioning repairs can be costly. At Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc., we recommended that the air conditioner be run regularly, even during winter months, to keep the parts and seals lubricated.

Corrosion is what leads to many air conditioning system failures for Middletown motorists. The small leaks mentioned earlier also mean that air and water can leak into the air conditioning system. This can lead to rust and dirt in the internal workings of the air conditioning components. This greatly accelerates wear and, ultimately, failure.

Air conditioning service at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. starts with a visual inspection of the components for signs of damage or leaks. The compressor is driven by a belt from the engine, most often the serpentine belt, so it’s inspected for cracks or wear. The air conditioning compressor and other components are checked for proper operation. Then comes the leak test. If a leak is detected, often in a hose or connection, it’s repaired and the system is retested.

Then the old refrigerant is evacuated and the system is recharged with clean, fresh refrigerant. A final test insures that the mini-van's air conditioner is working, and you’re on your way.

How often this should be done varies from vehicle to vehicle. Your mini-van owner’s manual will have the manufacturer’s recommendation and, of course, your Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. service advisor can tell you. It’s typically every two years.

If you’re not getting enough cool air you know something’s wrong. Also, if you hear strange sounds when you turn the air on, there might be a problem with the compressor and you should get it checked out at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc.. Replacing a bad A/C clutch in a mini-van is cheaper than waiting for it to ruin the compressor.

Middletown drivers need to be aware that there’s one more thing that isn’t directly related to air conditioning service, but does impact the quality of the air in your mini-van. And that’s your cabin air filter. This filter cleans dust, pollen, pollution and other impurities in the air that comes from the heater and air conditioner. The cabin air filter needs to be replaced when it’s dirty. If you don’t it’ll start to smell. Not all vehicles have one, so ask your Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. service advisor to check your cabin air filter at the same time they’re doing your air conditioning service.

Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. Maintenance Tips: The Belt Goes On

Today's Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. auto maintenance article focuses on your serpentine belt. Your serpentine belt is a long belt that’s driven by your engine. It winds around several accessories that power important automotive systems. Let’s go over them.

First, the serpentine belt drives your mini-van air conditioning system. It spins the compressor that makes the cool air that takes the edge off the summer heat in Wallingford.

Next, the belt powers the alternator. The alternator creates electricity that’s used by your mini-van’s electrical systems and also charges your car battery. All Wallingford drivers know that without the alternator, the battery will go dead in a few miles.

The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering and power brakes. And, on many mini-vans, the serpentine belt powers the water pump. The water pump circulates coolant through the engine to keep it within normal operating temperatures as you drive around Wallingford.

Now on some mini-vans, the water pump is powered by the timing belt instead of the serpentine belt. So you can see the serpentine belt does a lot of work. And it if breaks, it affects a lot of systems. That’s why manufacturers and your service advisor at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. have recommended that it be changed every so often so that it doesn’t fail.

Your Wallingford service technician can perform a visual inspection of the belt to see if it has any cracks that signal the belt could fail soon and will measure the amount of belt material to make sure there is enough.

There’s a special, spring loaded pulley attached to the engine called the tensioner pulley. Its job is to make sure there’s a constant tension on the serpentine belt so that it doesn’t slip. The spring can become worn and no longer provide the necessary pressure to keep the belt tight. At Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc., we recommend that the tensioner be replaced at the same time as the serpentine belt.

All in all, the serpentine belt’s an important part for the function of your mini-van. And it’s not that expensive to replace in Wallingford – so it’s good to do so before it fails.

PCV Valve Service At Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. In Middletown

The PCV Valve is a little, inexpensive part that does a big job for Middletown drivers. PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation.

The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil. When the mini-van engine’s running, fuel is burned to generate power. Most of the exhaust from combustion goes out through the exhaust system. But some exhaust blows by the pistons and goes into the lower engine, or crankcase.

These hot gases are about seventy percent unburned fuel. This can dilute and contaminate the oil, leading to damaging engine oil sludge. It can also cause mini-van engine corrosion, something we see occasionally at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc.. At high speeds on Middletown freeways, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak.

Back in the old days, engine makers simply installed a hose that vented these gases out into the atmosphere. But starting in the 1964 model year, laws mandated that these gases be recycled back into the air intake system to be mixed with fuel and burned in the mini-van's engine.

This is much better for the environment and it saves gas too. (Budget-conscious Middletown drivers take note!) The little valve that controls all this action is the PCV valve. The PCV valve lets gases out of the engine, but won’t let anything back in. Over time, the vented gases will gum up the PCV valve and it won’t work well. That can lead to all of the problems I’ve already described, oil leaks, excessive oil consumption and wasted gas.

Fortunately, it’s very easy to test the PCV Valve at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. and quick and inexpensive to replace. Even so, it’s often overlooked because many Middletown drivers don’t know about it. Check your mini-van owner’s manual or ask your Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. service advisor. If this is the first time you’ve heard of a PCV valve, you might be in line for a replacement.

There’s another aspect to the PCV system. In order for the valve to work correctly, it needs a little clean air to come in. This is done through a breather tube that gets some filtered air from the engine air filter. Now some vehicles have a small separate air filter for the breather tube called the breather element. That’ll need to be replaced at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. when it gets dirty.

Please ask your helpful Middletown service advisor about your PCV valve. For the price of a couple of burger combo meals in Middletown, you can avoid some very expensive deep engine repairs.

Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. Tire Safety: Washington vs. Lincoln

Welcome to the Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. blog. Today, let’s talk about the effect of tire tread depth on braking. When talking about stopping power, most of us Durham drivers tend to focus on our brakes. But our tires are where the rubber meets the road. So having good brakes isn’t enough. Safe Durham drivers need to have tires with enough traction to translate braking power into stopping power.

Let’s focus on stopping in wet Durham conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can’t move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water.

That’s called hydroplaning. If it’s really bad, Durham drivers can actually spin out of control. At best, you won’t stop as fast.

So how does a tire move water? It has channels for water to flow through. Look at your mini-van tire and you’ll see channels: channels that run around the tire and channels that flow across the tire. They’re designed to direct water away from the tire so it can contact the road better.

And the deeper the channel, the more water it can move. A brand new Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. tire has very deep channels and can easily move a lot of water. As the tire wears down, the channels become shallower and can move less water. When it wears down enough, it can seriously affect your ability to stop your mini-van on wet Durham roads.

So that’s why it’s so important to replace our mini-van tires when they get worn. Consumer Reports and other advocate groups call for a standard of 3/32 of an inch and they have the studies to prove it.

By comparison, you’ve probably seen the wear indicator that’s molded into tires. When tires are worn 3/32 of an inch, the tread wear bar is visible. So the recommended standard has twice the tread depth as a completely worn out mini-van tire.

At Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc., we want our customers to know that the deeper recommended tread depth makes a big difference. Stopping distances are cut dramatically on wet Durham roads. A safe stop from CT freeway speeds with 4/32 of an inch of tread would result in a crash with worn out tires.

There’s an easy way to tell when a tire’s worn to 4/32 of an inch. Just insert a quarter into the tread. Put it in upside down. If the tread doesn’t cover George Washington’s hairline, it’s time to replace your mini-van tires. With a Canadian quarter, the tread should cover the numbers in the year stamp.

Many Durham car owners have heard of this technique using a penny and Abe Lincoln’s head. That measure gives you 2/32 of an inch – half the suggested amount. Of course, mini-van tires are a big ticket item. Most of us in Durham want to get as many miles out of them as we can. But there’s a real safety trade-off. It’s your choice.

Suspension Service At Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc.

Suspension systems will continue to operate effectively for many years and tens of thousands of miles. Eventually mini-van components do wear out, but how long that takes depends a lot on how you drive in Middlefield.

As you can imagine, if most of your driving is on smooth CT highways, your shock absorbers will last a lot longer than if you do most of your driving on bumpy roads or hauling heavy loads. In addition to just wearing out, mini-van suspension components can be damaged in an accident or by a hard impact – like a pothole, hitting a curb or a rock in the road. Because the life span of shocks can vary so widely, your mini-van manufacturer recommends periodic inspections.

During an inspection at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc., your helpful Middlefield service technician will check for worn, broken or missing parts. Let me give a rundown of the major suspension components.

First there are the springs. The springs hold the weight of the vehicle. There are several kinds of springs. Springs are obviously heavy duty parts that rarely break or wear out. Shock absorbers work in conjunction with springs to smooth out the ride and help keep the tires on the road. The shocks are key to handling performance and ride comfort.

You’ve probably heard of struts. They combine a shock absorber and a coil spring in one unit. Shocks and struts will wear out over time. There are some signs that shocks or struts are wearing out. The tires may have a cupped wear pattern. This is from the shocks bouncing unevenly. You may notice a floaty or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your mini-van dives excessively when stopping, or rocks back and forth after you stopped, your shocks may be worn out. And if they are leaking fluid, it’s definitely time to replace them.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, visit Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. for a suspension inspection. Same if you’ve been in an accident that involved one of your wheels. If your mini-van suspension actually fails, it could lead to a serious accident, so take care of these things.

When you replace your shocks, it’s usually a good idea to replace all four at the same time. That’ll give you more even handling. Talk with your Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. service advisor because you don’t want a big difference between the performance of your shocks from wheel to wheel, and replacing all may be the safest bet.

There different grades of shocks and struts. You always want to use a replacement shock or strut that equals the one that came as original equipment when your mini-van was new. But remember, they were designed to meet the expected needs of the broad range of Middlefield people who buy that particular vehicle. Your needs may be more specialized.

For example if you want increased handling performance for your mini-van, your helpful Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. advisor can recommend an upgraded shock or strut to give you what you want. If you haul heavy loads or trailers, you can get a more heavy duty shock absorber.

Keep Your Cool In Wallingford: Air Conditioning Service

Most Wallingford drivers wait for their air conditioning to fail before they service it at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc.. That’s because many Middletown and Middlefield motorists don't really understand that automotive air conditioners need periodic service. Let me share some of the reasons why they fail.

First, like every machine, the mini-van air conditioner parts need lubrication. The lubricant is actually mixed in with the refrigerant (that’s the stuff that makes the air cool). So sometimes, even though the air conditioner is still making cool air, the oil that lubricates the parts has just been used up: and unlubricated parts can fail in all CT cars.

Now here’s a tip for Wallingford drivers: You should run your air conditioner every so often during CT winters. This circulates the lubricant to help keep the seals from drying out.

The air conditioner actually removes some of the moisture in the air. So if you have trouble with fogging on your windshield during CT winters or during a rain storm, running the A/C on the defrost setting should help. Now on some Wallingford cars you can’t run the A/C at the same time as the defroster. Don’t ask me why, but I suspect lawyers were involved.

Also, air and water can get into the A/C system. That can reduce the efficiency of the system and also lead to corrosion that causes damage. Wallingford drivers should periodically purge the system and replace the refrigerant to clear out the air and water.

Middletown drivers should be aware of early warning signs of trouble: One might be that the air’s not as cold as it used to be. You may hear an unusual noise when the A/C cycles on. Those are signs to get your vehicle into Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. in Middletown before the damage gets worse.

So following the recommended service intervals in your mini-van owner’s manual can help prevent mechanical failure of your air conditioning system. You’re A/C system contains some expensive components like the compressor, condenser, dryer, etc. Anything New Britain and Middlefield car owners can do to lengthen the life of their A/C is well worth it.

Tire Replacement: What Middlefield Drivers Need to Know

Looking at getting some new tires? The choices at Middlefield tire stores can be a little overwhelming. Suppose you have an SUV and are trying to decide between all season tires or some that are also rated for off-highway. Do you get off the payment on the outskirts of Middlefield more than most? If so, some additional off-road traction would be nice.

Maybe the real reason for wanting those off-highway tires is that they look cool. Well there’s nothing wrong with that. If you make sure that you’ve got your functional needs covered with your selection, then you can have some fun with where you go from there.

Let’s suppose you zip around Middlefield in a sporty car. You may like to run a high-performance summer tire when the weather’s good. When CT weather turns cold, you can put on high-performance winter tires. For the kind of driving you like to do, you want full-on performance tires. All-season tires are naturally a compromise that works well for most Middlefield drivers, but since you have a choice, go for dedicated summer and winter tires.

When it’s time for new tires, visit with a knowledgeable Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. tire professional. Describe your needs and wants. He’ll come up with some selections for you to discuss. And once you settle on a type of tire, there are options for special needs: like pulling a trailer or carrying heavy loads.

Tires are one of the biggest purchases for Middlefield drivers. With so many choices, you’ll be able to get what’s best for you. Take their time. And don’t worry about what’s in stock. If you want something that isn’t here at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc., manager Joseph Kleczkowski can order it. Chances are you’ll be rolling on your new tires in a couple of days.

Your Well Trained Technician At Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc.

When your mini-van breaks down, or just needs some routine service, you might get a little nervous. Your car’s so important to your life in Middlefield, you need to back on the road as soon as possible – with the problem fixed right the first time.

If you’ve ever checked into some of the technician training Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. professionals receive, you may be surprised at how much knowledge and skill goes into diagnosing and repairing a modern car. Let me give you some perspective. Today there are four cylinder engines that make more power than the V-8’s in luxury cars twenty years ago. I mean a new V-6 Toyota Camry could beat Sonny Crocket’s Ferrari in a race to sixty.

Our engines are more and more powerful and at the same time their fuel economy keeps inching up – even with steep Middlefield gas prices. And they’re so reliable. This is all due to engineering. But the advances come at the price of simplicity. The modern cars driving around Middlefield roads are so much more complex from a mechanical standpoint that it makes your head spin – not to mention the electronics.

Some cars have several networked computers controlling most of the engine functions and many other vehicle functions as well. Middlefield motorists take all of this sophistication for granted – but somebody has to fix it when it breaks. It’s a real challenge for Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. technicians to keep up, but we work hard to stay ahead of the technology. It requires a high level of commitment on the part of the technician and the Middlefield service center as well.

In addition to the training, there’s the financial commitment to purchase the diagnostic and repair tools. Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. technicians receive training through a combination of formal classroom training, training provided at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. by parts and equipment manufacturers, on-line courses and home study courses.

There are many independent certifications available at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. all the way up to Master Technician. The ability to repair your mini-van requires a strong combination of training and resources. No one can know everything, so Middlefield auto service centers subscribe to data services, technical libraries and even on-line communities that can help them when they run into a difficult problem.

It’s like those medical diagnosis shows on TV. Here are the symptoms – what’s the diagnosis and treatment? Diagnosis is every bit as much an art as a science. At Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc., we want everything to be simple, straightforward and cheap – but sometimes it just isn’t.

So try to be more relaxed next time you bring us your mini-van. You’re in good hands.

Wallingford Safety Systems: Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Flats, blow outs, skids and longer stopping distances can all be the result of Wallingford folks driving around on under-inflated tires. Now, it’s hard to tell when a radial tire is under-inflated. If your manufacturer recommends 35 pounds of pressure, your mini-van tire’s considered significantly under inflated at 26 pounds. The tire may not look low until it gets below 20 pounds.

New laws required manufacturers to include a Tire Pressure Monitoring System – or TPMS system – in all cars and light trucks by the 2008 model year. The system has a dashboard mounted warning light that goes off if one or more of the tires falls 25% below manufacturer’s pressure recommendations.

This technology has been used by Wallingford race car drivers for years. They are able to head off problems from under inflation by closely monitoring tire pressure on the track. It’s up to your car’s manufacturer to determine which of many TPMS systems available they’ll use to comply with the law.

Obviously, all of this doesn’t come free for Wallingford drivers. U.S. government studies have estimated the net costs. Of course, the TPMS system itself will cost something. Maintaining the system will have a cost, replacement of worn or broken parts and tire repair cost increases.

The costs are partially offset by savings in fuel and tire wear. There’s also a saving in property damage and travel delay. The net cost is estimated to be between $27 and $100. The government predicts fewer fatal accidents. They estimate that it will cost between three and nine million dollars for every life saved.

Your safety has always been a concern at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc.. We want you on the road and accident free. We've traditionally provided things like tire rotations, snow tire mounting and flat fixes at a very low cost. We’ve been able to quickly and cheaply provide the service, and pass the low cost on to you as an expression of our good will.

That’s why we're concerned about how you’ll perceive the changes that this new law will force. Every time a tire is changed: taken off to fix a flat, a new tire installed, a snow tire mounted; the Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. service technician is now going to have to deal with the TPMS system.

Even a simple tire rotation will require that the monitor be reprogrammed to the new location of each tire. When a car battery is disconnected, the TPMS system will need to be reprogrammed. TPMS sensor batteries will need to be changed and failed parts replaced.

Like all other Wallingford service centers, here at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. we've had to purchase new scanning equipment to work with the TPMS sensors and to update expensive tire change equipment to better service wheels equipped with the new monitoring systems. Our Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. service technicians have been thoroughly trained on many systems and new tire-changing techniques. All of this adds up to significantly increased cost to perform what was once a very inexpensive service for you.

So when you start so see the cost of tire changes, flat repairs and rotations going up at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc., please keep in mind that it’s because of government mandated safety equipment. We want to keep you safely on the road – and we're committed to doing it at a fair price. This new safety equipment will help you avoid the most common types of vehicle failure in Wallingford, and possibly a catastrophic accident.

Clean Air for Your Engine: Engine Air Filters In Middletown

Every Middletown car owner who has taken their car in for an oil change has been told that their engine air filter’s dirty.

Here’s what goes into the determination of when to change the filter: First, your mini-van owner’s manual will have a recommendation of when to change the filter. Second, a visual inspection by your Wallingford technician may determine that your filter it is visibly dirty and needs to be changed.

So between your owner’s manual and your Wallingford technician’s inspection there’s really no guesswork involved.

Now, most air filters purchased in New Britain, Middlefield, or Durham don’t cost a lot to replace. It’s just that CT people hate getting caught with an unexpected expense. On the plus side, though, changing a dirty air filter at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc. can often save enough on gas to pay for itself before your next oil change in Wallingford.

Think about a dirty furnace filter in your Middlefield home. When it’s all clogged up, enough clean air can’t get through. In your mini-van, that means that your engine can’t get as much air as it needs to burn the fuel efficiently. So it makes do with less air and has to use more expensive CT gas to move your vehicle around Wallingford roads.

Your mini-van actually needs about 12,000 gallons of air for every gallon of gas it burns. Engine air filters don’t cost much in Middletown at Personal Auto Care Service Center Inc.. When it’s time to change yours, just get it done. You’ll save buy less expensive Wallingford fuel, have better performance and protect your engine.

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