Spring Car Care Tips

Ever heard of the Serpentine Belt?

You know that long belt that snakes around the front of your engine? It’s called the serpentine belt. The best is driven by the engine as it turns. It powers your alternator, air conditioning compressor, and power steering pump. On some vehicles, it also runs the water pump, radiator fan, and power brakes. Sounds like a lot of important stuff doesn’t it?

If your serpentine belt were to break, your battery would die in a few miles. If it runs your fan or water pump, your engine could overheat. And steering and braking could be more difficult. Obviously, the best thing is to replace your serpentine belt before it breaks.

Check your owner’s manual for when it’s recommended to replace your serpentine belt—or just ask your Honest-1 service manager. He can inspect the belt as well to see if it’s in trouble. You may have been told to look for cracks in your belt to see if it needs to be replaced. Of course, cracks are still a concern, but modern belt material doesn’t crack as often as old belts did.

What we look for these days is the thickness of the belt. We have a special little tool that measures the depth of the grooves in the belt to see if it needs replacing. A worn belt can slip or be misaligned, putting undue stress on the accessories it runs.

Now you can imagine it’s important for the belt to be tight, so there’s a tensioner pulley on your engine that puts pressure on the belt to keep it at the right tension. The spring on the tensioner wears out over time so we recommend replacing the tensioner pulley at the same time as the serpentine belt. Replacing your serpentine belt on schedule, or when an inspection warrants it, will keep you from an unexpected breakdown. 

What are DRLs?

Daytime Running Lights (DRL) have been installed on cars for many years now. This makes it much easier to see an oncoming vehicle than one without DRL’s.

How often do you notice a vehicle traveling at dusk or in the dark without tail lights?

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Did you know?

Most often the driver is unaware they cannot be easily seen from behind or the side. Inside the vehicle the dash is lit up, they can see where they are going and they assume the tail lights are on. As drivers, we need to be aware of the exterior lighting on our vehicles.

If your vehicle has an "AUTO" setting for your headlights it is best to use that setting, all exterior lighting will come on at dusk, off at dawn and others will be able to see you. If you don’t have an “AUTO” setting you must turn the lights on and off yourself.

Another thing to remember is to turn your lights on anytime we have inclement weather, as the “AUTO” setting may not sense that the lights need to be turned on.

#safety #daytimerunninglights #DRL #Visibility #Lights #tips #didyouknow

Prepared for Winter

Are you prepared for winter driving? What should you take with you this winter?

Be prepared by keeping these items handy in your vehicle: 

• Spare Winter Clothing & Boots
• Emergency Drinking Water/Dried Food
• Emergency Blanket (& extra sleeping bag)
• Flashlight w/ Batteries
• Weatherproof Emergency Flares/Cones
• Emergency Whistle w/lanyard
• Hand Warmers (Pair), Feet Warmers (Pair)
• "Call Police" banner
• Safety matches
• A supply of Emergency Candles
• Coffee Can - one for candles & on for melting snow
• First Aid Kit

Additional Tips:

• Many people have their cell phones. But do you keep a car charger for your phone in your vehicle at all times?
• Winter Traction on ice can be enhanced by putting kitty litter down on the ice in front of the tires - but avoid clay based kitty litters, as it will mix with snow/slush and cause mud. 
• A small shovel is helpful in case you have to dig yourself out, it doesn't have to be big but it needs to be sturdy enough not to break,
• Glow sticks can be a handy way to alert emergency vehicles. Tie a shoelace to the end and by swinging it around like a lasso, it is a very effective signal from the ground or the sky. 

Fuel Economy Tips you can take to the bank

The following maintenance and driving tips can translate into fuel cost savings and cash in the bank; read along to find ways you can save some cash. It’s like paying less for fuel each time you fill up. Information gathered from Car Care Canada.

1)     Tires inflated properly, even one tire that is 8 PSI low can have the same affect as saving up to $0.04/litre. For the average driver that’s the same as saving $69 a year in fuel cost. If you drive a truck it can be over $100 per year.

2)     Avoid aggressive driving, this can mean up to a 40% change in fuel cost. For a car that could be a savings of almost $700 a year and over $1000 with a truck.

3)     Remove excessive weight, for every 45 kgs (100 lbs.) extra weight in the vehicle, fuel economy drops between 1 and 2% that’s between $30 and $50 a year for every 45 kgs. So the question is - What’s in your trunk?

4)     Use a block heater; because a cold engine does not burn fuel efficiently you will use more fuel starting your car/truck in winter when it is not plugged in. Depending on how cold it gets, this can make a difference of up to 10% on economy during the cold winter months.

5)     Properly tuned engine, from maintenance tune-ups to major running issues the benefits add up. Annual savings from $100 to over $1000 a year in extreme cases.

6)     Observe the speed limit. Reducing speed from 120 km/h to 110 km/h typically saves at least 10%, the bigger the vehicle the more you save. Annual savings of $175 to over $500.

      Crestview Auto Service is a proud partner of Trusted Saskatoon and will work with you as "We'll Help Keep Your Vehicle Young A Long Time" - visit us online at www.crestviewautoservice.ca or call at (306) 244-6522. 

Honest-1 Featured on DigitalJournal.com

Honest-1 Auto Care was recently featured on DigitalJournal.com in an article titled, "Honest-1 Auto Care Celebrates April Car Care Month with Free Safety Inspection and Seasonal Tips". The article features professional car care advice from Honest-1 experts, and touches upon Honest-1's offer of free inspections to help keep drivers safe and ensure their vehicles are up to date on all maintenance issues.

Click HERE for the full article or begin reading below:

Honest-1 Auto Care Celebrates April Car Care Month with Free Safety Inspection and Seasonal Tips

April marks National Car Care Month, and with spring entering full bloom, for safety and operation purposes, it is important to make sure your vehicle looks the part for the season. To gear up for the open road, Honest-1 Auto Care (Honest-1), one of the only national full-service auto care company that is 100 percent ESA® Certified Eco-Friendly, is offering expert tips for recommended maintenance every car owner can benefit from, based on the auto company’s strategic approach to car care.

“With spring underway and the promise of warmer weather, we know our customers will have the itch to hit the road for those dream routes of leisure and exploration,” said Rissy Sutherland, COO of Honest-1 Auto Care. “That’s why for National Car Care Month, we encourage everyone to come into the shop to receive a free safety inspection. We also encourage our customers to ‘like’ us on Facebook to learn additional car care tips.”

Honest-1 suggests the following tips to help car owners see their vehicles spring back to life.