Battery Basics

The battery on your can can leave you stranded and spending money on a jump start or tow, so buy a quality battery and do not go cheap. A quality battery will cost between $60-$100. When buying a new battery look at the date code and make sure you buy a new battery and not one that is 6 months old when you get it. If properly maintained a battery will last from 4-8 years. The battery not only starts the car but provides power for lighting, & accessories. For this reason, but a battery with sufficient reserve power and cold cranking amps for the location you live in. If you live up north, cold cranking amps is more critical than if you live in the south. One of the biggest killers of batteries is to run it dead. This is especially true of Maintenance Free batteries. Every time you run your battery down, you are talking life from the battery. A battery that has been completely discharged more than twice is probably on it's death bed. When you replace your battery remember that your radio code and presets will be lost. Make sure you have the code for your radio if it is a Anti-Theft radio. Without this code the radio will not function and in most cases you will need to remove the radio to access the serial # in order to get the code from your dealer. Remove the battery and clean the storage tray and cable connections. If you have to recharge a battery disconnect the positive cable, use a slow charge, and make sure you do not overcharge. I recommend an automatic charger to prevent over charging. Keep you battery clean and this will extend it's life. 

Picking The Right Tires

Picking the right set of tires for you vehicle is more than just looking for a long lasting tire or a great handling tire. The tire you choose effects almost every aspect of how your car rides, handles, steers, mileage, and the balance of the car. Pick the wrong tire and you may upset one or more of these factors. The manufactures do not just put any tire on the car they produce. The tire is designed by the manufacture to enhance the cars abilities. The tire manufacture builds the tire to the auto manufactures specifications. Look on the sidewall of the OEM tire that came on you car. Look at not only the size but the speed rating. Is it an H rated tire or a S rated tire. You should replace your old worn out tires with ones with the exact same speed rating. This will insure the dynamics of the car are not altered. The manufacture of you car designs the suspension around the tire to give the best possible ride, handling, mileage, and braking. Change the tires and you may end up with a car that handles, or stops, poorly. Remember the tire itself is part of the suspension. The tire absorbs some of the bumps and potholes. I am not saying you have to buy the exact same brand tire that came on your car. What I am saying is stick with the OEM size, and especially speed rating. Have you ever read reviews of tires and noticed that the very same tire can be loved by one person and hated by another. Ever wonder why that is? It is very simple, one person bought a tire that was matched to their car and the other one didn't. So do your research and buy the right tire for your vehicle. You may be able to go up one size if you change the aspect ratio, but I recommend you stick with the OEM size. There are many great tires made by many tire manufactures, so choose wisely. Remember every tire is a compromise. It would be easy for a tire manufacture to build a tire that would last 100,000 miles, but that tire would ride and handle horribly, and basically be an unsafe tire. So they compromise. Do not compromise on the safety of your family. Do your research, talk to a tire expert you trust, and stick with what a tire your car was designed for. You cannot go wrong with OEM type tires. 

Checking Fluid Levels

A regular part of maintenance is to check all your fluid levels. To check your oil level park you vehicle on a level surface. An un-level surface will give you a false reading. Let the vehicle set for at least 30 minutes before checking the oil level. Remove the oil dipstick and wipe it clean. Fully insert it back into the engine and then remove it an look closely at the level of the oil. You will see Full & Add. If you are close to full do not add any oil. The amount between full & add is normally around 1 quart but may be 1/2 quart depending on your vehicle. When adding oil do not overfill. Add a slight amount wait a few minutes and check again. 

To check your brake fluid normally you can just look at the master cylinder located on the firewall driver's side. Normally they are clear and you can see the fluid. It is normal for the fluid level to go down as your brake pads wear. So if you see that the level has dropped significantly and you have over 35,000 miles since last replacing the brake pads, you need to take a look and see if they need replacing. Of course if you hear a squeal or grinding noise during braking, you pads are worn out. Only add fluid if the level is at the add mark. And then add DOT3 brake fluid or whatever is listed on the master cylinder cap.  Only add fluid from an unopened container. Brake fluid absorbs moisture so discard that unused fluid. I know this sounds wasteful, but old fluid stored in a can that has been opened, is not what you want to add to your master cylinder. 

To check the Power Steering fluid you have 2 choices. You can check it cold or hot. Pull the P/S dipstick out and look for the 

marks. One should say cold and one hot. Add only the correct P/S

 fluid as listed in your owner's manual. It takes very little to bring it to full. Do not overfill.

To check the Automatic Transmission fluid look in your owner's manual or on the dipstick itself for the correct procedure. They are normally located at the rear of the engine near the transmission. Do not mix the A/T dipstick up with the Oil dipstick. Some A/T you check hot, engine running, in park or neutral, others cold, engine off, some you can check both cold or hot, others you simply cannot check at all, as they are sealed units. Whatever way you check it, make sure you follow your owner's manual directions to the letter. Normally to go from low to full only requires you add 1 pint of fluid or less. Use the exact transmission fluid listed in your owner's manual. DO NOT SUBSTITUTE or OVERFILL! It is critical you use the correct fluid or you may damage the transmission. For instance if you own a Honda, you must use Honda ATF and no other. Most GM vehicles require Dexron 1, 2, or 3. On some vehicles you have no way of checking the fluid level as the A/T is sealed. When you check the fluid level look closely at the fluid an smell it. If it looks and smells burnt with a very foul odor, you need to have the fluid changed by a professional. You will need a long neck filter in order to add

 fluid. If the fluid level is low, this indicates a leak as A/T fluid is not used up. You may want to consult a professional about the leak. I also recommend you have the A/T fluid changed every 50,000 miles or the interval listed in your owner's manual. 

To check the coolant level, look at the coolant recovery tank, engine off and cold. Add a 50/50 mix of Antifreeze & Distilled Water, if it is below the full mark cold. You can purchase this pre-mixed or mix it yourself. Add only the coolant listed in your owner's manual. If you notice you are regularly loosing coolant, look for a leak. If you see no apparent leak, be aware you may have an internal engine problem. If you see white smoke which smells sweet, or your oil level is over full, suspect you have a blown head gasket which is very serious and must be repaired ASAP. Stop driving the vehicle until this is repaired. 

To check the windshield washer fluid, locate the WW reservoir. Do not mix this up with the coolant recovery tank. Normally the WWR will have a blue cap. Add only commercially available WW fluid and do not add plain water. 

I suggest you have your manual transmission and differential checked by a professional. It requires special lubricants and tools to service these which you normally do not have on hand. 

Rotating Your Tires

Whether you plan of rotating your tires yourself, or paying someone to do it, lets look at why rotate in the first place. Tires do not wear evenly on the back and rear. On a front wheel drive car, (FWD) the front tires will wear faster than the rear. They are carrying a heavier load and are used to move the vehicle. They also wear due to being the wheels that steer. Parking, pulling, turning a corner, all this brings force to bear on the front tires and force creates friction and the result is heat. Heat an friction produces wear. So you need to rotate your tires at least every 10,000 miles or sooner if stated in your owner's manual. Otherwise the fronts will wear out much faster than the rear and you will be buying 2 tires for the front, with older tires on the rear. You must rotate to equalize tread wear. You should rotate the tires side to side. In other words left rear to left front, and right rear to right front. Before getting started it is imperative you own a torque wrench. The lug nuts must not be over-tightened and a torque wrench is a necessity. Tighten the lug nuts too much and you will warp the rotors, costing you money later on. If you do not own one and do not plan on buying one then pay a trusted mechanic to rotate your tires. 

Park the vehicle on a level hard surface and set the parking brake, put the transmission in park or 1st gear if manual. Pick which side you will work on first and place wheel chocks around the wheels on the other side. With a lug wrench or socket/ratchet loosen all the lug nuts on both wheels you are rotating. If you are using an Air Impact wrench you can skip this step. Place a floor jack at the factory jack point just behind the front wheel. Normally it is 1 - 2 feet back of the wheel. Look for a notch and place the jack under the frame. Jack the car up just enough for both front and rear wheels to come slightly off the pavement. If they don't then move the jack point until they do. When you find the correct spot, mark it with a permanent marker for future tire rotations. Place jack stands under the frame front and rear. Now remove the lug nuts front and rear and place in a safe place, not on the pavement. Remove the front tire and look inside the wheel for debris, such as a hunk of tar stuck to the wheel, or anything else. This can throw the wheel out of balance so remove it. I personally use this opportunity to give the backside of my wheels and tires a good cleaning.  Inspect the tire for cuts, damage, or uneven tire wear, which may be a sign you need an alignment. After cleaning roll that tire to the rear, remove the rear tire and immediately mount the clean wheel. Clean the wheel/tire you just removed and mount it on the front. Put all the lug nuts back on and hand tighten. Make sure the lug nuts are seated properly, and installed correctly. Hard to believe, but some people have installed them backwards with the seating surface out, so be sure. They will come off if mounted incorrectly. Now take that wrench you loosened the lug nuts with and tighten them snug but do not try to tighten tightly. Remove the jack stands and lower the car. Take out your torque wrench and set it to whatever the torque specs listed in your owner's manual are for your vehicle. On my Accord it is 80 Ft/Lbs. Your vehicle may or may not be the same. Don't know, then call your local dealer and ask. The lug nuts must be torqued correctly. Torque the lug nuts in a criss-cross pattern. Now move to the other side and repeat the above procedure. Another job well done.

EPA Fuel Economy Guide

Changing Wiper Blades

When should you replace your blades? If your blades are over 1 year old they probably need replacing. If you see streaking,  gaps, or hear chattering, or squeaking, replace the blades. Vision while driving is imperative, so make sure you can see clearly in bad weather. This is a very easy repair once you do it the first time, but it can be a frustrating repair if you have never done it before. I suggest you purchase the entire blade rather than buying the wiper insert. If you live where the winters are severe, you may want to consider purchasing a winter blade. When you open the package you will see many inserts that are there for multiple applications. The instructions are usually not that helpful, and looking at all these clips and attachments may seem daunting. But once you learn which attachment to use with your car it will become easy. You may not even need attachments for your particular application. Start by purchasing  a good set of wiper blades that are designed to fit your car. There are many brands at many prices. Anco is a leading manufacture and they make a good blade. But there are others, so choose wisely. Start by raising the wiper arm to the up position so it is no longer resting on the windshield, and you can easily remove the blade. Now open the package and find the attachment that matches the one on your car. Read the directions to get an idea of how exactly this attachment works. Remove the old blade. Normally this requires you to either push, pull, or lift on a tab. You may need a very small flat blade screwdriver.  Sometimes this is the hardest part of the repair. Figuring out how it comes off can be frustrating. Look at it closely and read the directions. You will figure this out. As you start to remove the old blade pay close attention to exactly how it fits on the arm. You are going to do this very exact same thing again in reverse order. Now find the attachment that matches the one on your old blade. It may already be on the blade, or may not be. Insert the attachment if applicable, and slowly install the new blade just like you took the old one off, in reverse order. Listen for it to click. That click tells you it is firmly locked in place. No click and your new blades my fly off. The photos below are a typical installation. You just saved a few dollars by DIY.

How Often Should You Change Your Oil?

This question is one that you will get anywhere from 3,000 miles to never, just change the filter. The truth is you can never change your oil too often but you can sure not change it often enough. Common sense tells you that the more you do it, the better. But do you really want to be changing your oil every 1,000 miles, I sure don't. Manufactures of your vehicle will tell you every 10,000 miles or so. You buddy with an older classic car swears by every 3,000 miles. And Bubba tells you he has never changed his oil and just changes the filter. You know the story, oil does not wear out. The fact is that every time you start that engine  the normal combustion is producing lots of water, and some of it gets in your crank case. Even more if the engine is high mileage and worn. Large quantities of air are being drawn into the engine, as any high school student knows, air contains water and water is a horrible lubricant. If everything is working as it should with your crank case breather system, the vast majority of the moisture is removed. But it very cold weather a lot of condensation takes place. That water in your engine dissolves any nitrates formed during combustion. That creates Nitrous Acid which is circulating throughout your engine. Nitrous Acid in your engine is a very bad thing. Knowing this, how often should you change your oil. That answer is determined by a number of factors. Of all the factors involved, miles driven is the least important in most cases. Those factors are:

1. Number of cold starts

2. Average Outside Temperature

3. Condition of the engine

4. Total Distance Traveled

So what is the answer. Well, I really have no definitive answer. I have no idea how you drive,number of cold starts,  the average temperature where you live, mileage you drive each year, nor the condition of your vehicle. I simply cannot tell you what is right for your car. I live in the south with mild winters, drive around 9,000 miles a year, mostly highway, with not a lot of cold starts. I change my oil and filter every 5,000 miles. I use conventional Pennzoil oil and a quality Purolator filter. I also change my Air Filter every 30,000 miles and do not drive in dusty conditions. For my situation this seems a good compromise between changing it every 1,000 miles and every 10,000 miles as my owner's manual states. Remember that every time you drain the oil pan you are draining away all the fine particles suspended in the oil. Remember also to never ever overfill the crankcase. Check the oil level with the vehicle sitting on a level surface after the engine has been shut down for at least 30 minutes. The problem with overfilling an engine is that as the crankshaft turns it create pressure. An over full engine will develop enough pressure to blow out the rear main seal. That leaking oil will ruin the clutch on a manual transmission equipped vehicle. Then later on the front main seal will let go. The crankshaft will dip into the oil and create a froth mix. This froth is a mix of oil and air. Air is a poor lubricant. The bearings will take a real beating from lack of lubrication. Too much oil is just as bad as too little. Bottom line is make sure you check the oil level correctly before adding any more oil.