Crestview Auto Service Saskatoon Car Care Advice: Water Pump

Let's face it, most of us do not think about  our vehicles until we run into a problem....and that problem may be a major inconvenience at best; an accident at worst. Having your vehicle serviced by people that you trust is an absolute must.   Let our team of highly trained technicians at Crestview Auto Service work with you to make sure your vehicle is ready for the road. 

Crestview Auto Service are your Trusted Saskatoon Auto Repair and service Experts!

The cooling system in an engine has five components: the radiator, the radiator cap, the hoses, the thermostat and the water pump. The water is literally the heart of the system. Just as your own heart keeps your blood circulating through your body, the water pump keeps coolant circulating through your engine.

The water pump is driven by a belt, chain or gear and only operates while the engine is running. It has a limited life span and sooner or later will have to be replaced. You can check your owner’s manual to find out how long your water pump should last. Some can fail at only 60,000 kilometers, but almost all of them fail by 160,000 kilometers.

Water pumps don’t gradually wear out; they fail. In other words, they’re either working or they’re not. A failed water pump has to be replaced.

Water pumps can fail in two ways: they can spring a leak or their bearings fail. Leaks can come from a cracked pump, but usually develop at the gasket where the pump attaches to the engine.

If you hear a low-pitched grinding sound coming from the water pump, it’s time for a new one. If you see coolant leaking in the area near the pump, it needs to be replaced. Also, coolant on the driveway could indicate water pump failure. Many water pumps aren’t visible because they’re under a plastic cover, so you may have to take your pickup to your Saskatoon service center or Crestview Auto Service to know if the water pump has failed.

If your water pump is run by the timing belt, then it should be replaced when you replace the belt. Most timing belts need to be replaced at around 100,000 to 150,000 kilometers. The labor for replacing a timing belt is about 90% the same for replacing a water pump, so it’s cost-effective to take care of them both at the same time.

Also, if your water pump develops a leak (if it’s powered by the timing belt), you have to replace the timing belt as well since contamination by coolant fluid damages the belt. It just makes sense for Saskatoon motorists to replace both of these critical parts whenever either one needs it.

Replacing a water pump at Crestview Auto Service is a car care issue that almost all of us Saskatoon car owners face eventually. They don’t last forever. On the other hand, we can extend the life of most of the components of our vehicle through important preventive maintenance. Just as exercise and diet keep our heart healthy, regular check-ups and fluid 

Drop in or give us a call at 24 - 23rd St E
Saskatoon, SK, 306-244-6522

Crestview Auto Service

“We’ll Keep Your Car Young a Long Time”

Register now for Crestview Auto Service Saskatoon Ladies car care clinic

Crestview Auto Service is hosting a FREE Ladies Car Care Clinic in Saskatoon

Learn how to check oil, tires and much much more!

September 29, 2015,  6:30–9pm

Register early, limited seating

We will be accepting donations to the Canadian Red Cross Society Anti-Bullying Program: all donations over $20 are eligible for receipt. Crestview Auto Service will match                                        the combined total of all donations up to $1000

Contact us today to register

CrestviewAuto Service 24 – 23rd Street East, Saskatoon

E-mail: crestviewautoservice@sasktel.net

Call:306-244-6522
www.crestviewautoservice.ca 


Your Trusted Saskatoon Auto Repair professionals 

What's your comfort zone?

As car owners, we push a few buttons or turn some knobs, and voila, we have warm air blowing on our feet or cool air chilling our face. How does all that happen? Well, it’s all thanks to the air blend box. This box lives behind the dash and conveys just the right temperature of air right where it is wanted.

Let’s break it down. First there is the blower fan that circulates the air through the heating/air conditioning system. The fan can blow at different speeds, depending on how much hot or cold air is required to be comfortable. The blend box can either deliver fresh air from outside, or recirculate air from inside the cabin. Saskatoon auto owners often choose to recirculate air when first starting the vehicle until it starts to either cool down or warm up. In recent weeks it was recommended to only recirculate air in the vehicles due to the forest fires and the high air quality health index.

The next thing the blend box does is convey airflow over the heater core to warm the air, or over the air conditioner evaporator core to chill it – it can also blend both hot and cold to get it just right. From there the blend box can direct the air out into the passenger compartment through the floor vents, the panel vents, the defroster, or a combination. All of this allows drivers to customize the climate just the way the like it.

Some vehicles have different climate control zones, like one for the driver and one for the passenger – or even more zones for the back seat. Additional blend boxes are used for this. Climate controls could be manually adjusted or computer controlled depending on your vehicle.

The blower motor and all of the little actuator motors that open and close the various blend doors can fail and need to be replaced. Most new vehicles come with a cabin air filter. This filter cleans the air before it gets into the blend box. If you neglect changing the cabin air filter, it can get clogged, smelly, and even allow mildew and other microorganisms to build up in the blend box.

At Crestview Auto Service, we can carry out a heating/air conditioning system-cleaning service that will clean and disinfect the system, restoring a fresh clean scent. If you are not getting enough hot or cold air, let us inspect your system, diagnose the cause and set things right. Also, don’t forget to replace the cabin air filter on schedule. Keep in mind; if you live and drive in dusty conditions or where there is a lot of pollen or other pollutants, you may need to replace your cabin air filter more frequently. We are here for you.

Crestview Auto Service
24 23rd St E
Saskatoon, SK S7K 0H5
306-244-6522

www.crestviewautoservice.ca

Auto Maintenance Basics: Anti-Lock Brakes

There’s a common misconception among Saskatoon drivers that Anti-Lock Brakes help you stop faster. That is not always the case on loose gravel, wet roads or snowy surfaces. Anti-Lock Brakes, in fact, are designed to help you maintain control of your vehicle in an emergency braking situation.

Imagine you are driving on a wet Saskatoon road. You need to slam on your brakes and your rear wheels lock up. Chances are good that the rear end of your vehicle will try to pass the front end and you can easily lose control. What would happen in the same circumstance if your front wheels locked up? Well you certainly would not be able to steer properly and your front end would go to wherever gravity leads it. The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) modulates your brakes on and off as many as 15 times a second. This keeps your wheels from locking up while providing the greatest amount of braking possible. You are better able to steer your vehicle and maintain control. Saskatoon motorists often talk about the 3 S’s of Anti-Lock Brakes: Stomp – Stay – Steer. Stomp on the brake, Stay on the brake, and Steer normally.

Modern ABS utilizes a computer to receive information from sensors and control the anti-lock brakes. There are wheel speed sensors at each wheel reporting back to the computer which can then decide when to activate the anti-lock brakes on the wheel or wheels in need.

So what affects how well the ABS works? First, the condition of your brakes: If you brakes are worn or not working properly, the ABS will not be able to do its job as effectively. A brake inspection at Crestview Auto Service in Saskatoon will let you know if your brake shoes/ pads are in good condition, if there are any mechanical brake issues and if your brake fluid and power brake system is in need of service. Proper brake fluid maintenance helps keep the brake control module in good working order. There can also be problems with the various sensors and the wiring that sends the messages to and from the computer. And of course, your tires need to be in good condition in order to have enough traction to start, stop, and steer. Worn tires are a big problem for ABS and Stability Control Systems.

The ABS is the foundation of Stability Control Systems, providing the vital information needed for stability control as well as to strategically brake a wheel when needed, so making sure your ABS is working well is very important. Also, the rolling diameter of your tires is one of the factors on which the computer uses to base anti-lock decisions. If you buy tires that are more than 3% larger or smaller than the tires that were installed at the factory, the ABS and Stability Control systems will not work properly. The computer can be recalibrated for the new tire size so that the systems have the correct information.

When you start your vehicle, the ABS light will briefly illuminate on the dashboard. If the system detects a problem with itself, the light will stay on. That is your cue to bring your vehicle in for an inspection to determine the problem. Crestview Auto Service is your partner in keeping this important safety system operating as it should.

Give us a call or book online at www.crestviewautoservice.ca

Crestview Auto Service
24 23rd St E
Saskatoon, SK S7K 0H5
306-244-6522

#brakes #tires #trustedsaskatoon #driving #YXE

Shocks & Struts (Part 2)

Are your shocks and struts in control of your ride? (*Part 2*)

Vehicle ride, handling and braking are directly linked to the integrity of your suspension components. Like many of the systems on your vehicle, struts and shocks wear very slowly; many people only realize how worn they have become after they have had them replaced. After replacement the vehicle feels like new.

As the internal components of shocks and struts wear, additional internal heat is created resulting in deteriorating ride quality, braking and handling. With this wear, the oil inside the struts and shocks aerates becoming more like foam than the liquid oil it is meant to be. The farther you drive the worse this gets. The air acts like a squishy ball, allowing excessive movement of the vehicle. When we step on the brakes or make sudden steering moves the vehicle starts to rock or roll, this lifts up one end and drops the other end. Any time this happens the tires, brakes and suspension are over loaded on the low side and you don’t have enough traction on the high side. This is the reason it takes longer to stop and you have less control with worn struts and shocks.

Unfortunately we cannot change the oil in the struts and shocks when it gets old like we do engine oil. You may have seen advertising from manufacturers advising you to replace struts and shocks after 80,000 kilometers; this is the reason; the oil is worn out resulting in the struts and shocks not working as they were intended to.

There are other considerations with worn struts and shocks; all of the extra vehicle movement creates wear in suspension and steering components, requiring replacement sooner than needed. The braking system will be over loaded in the front from having too much weight transferred from the back of the vehicle to the front when slowing down. This overloads the front brakes and causes the rear brakes to be less effective creating longer stopping distances. Additionally your tires will wear out far sooner than a vehicle with good shocks and struts.

Regular maintenance inspections, performed by experienced technicians along with the needed services will help you save time and money keeping your vehicle safe and reliable for many years to come.

At Crestview Auto Service “We’ll Keep Your Car Young a Long Time”

#‎shocks‬ ‪#‎struts‬ ‪#‎safety‬ ‪#‎YXE‬ ‪#‎Tires‬ ‪#‎Brakes

#CrestviewContest Winner

The lucky winner of this car safety kit was Tanya Marie!

Congratulations to Tanya! She won by sharing our recent contest Facebook post with her family and friends. Like our "Crestview Auto Service" Facebook page to be notified about upcoming contests and your chance to win. 

#CrestviewContest #Win #SafetyKit #Congratulations

Don't let the pressure get you down...

Spring is in the air and that means summer is around the corner. Getting out on the open road is a great way to enjoy the warm weather. It’s a good idea to have a look at your tires before heading out. Have a look at this short video on setting proper tire pressure.

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#tires‬ ‪#tirepressure #spring #driving #tirewear
www.crestviewautoservice.ca
(306) 244-6522

(P1) Canadian Tidbits

(P1) Tidbits of information about Canada you may never need:

Did you know? 

· 25 cents - The adult admission price of the first-ever auto show in Canada, held in Montreal in 1906.

 · $23.00 - The adult admission price of the 2015 Auto Show starting Feb. 13th, 2015.

 · $6.25 - Adjusting for inflation (25 cents in 1906) would be approximately $6.25 in 2015. 

(Information gathered from Government of Canada and the automotive industry, 2015).

#tidbits #inflation #carshow #Canada

Congratulations to...

The lucky winner of this heavy duty duffle bag was Vanessa Froese!

Congratulations to Vanessa! She won our most recent Facebook contest, guessing closest to the actual number of valve stems and then winning the three way tie! Like our "Crestview Auto Service" Facebook page to be notified about upcoming contests and your chance to win. 

And the lucky winner is...

Thank you to everyone who entered the Valve Stem contest on our Facebook page! 

There were 75 guesses with a range from 31 to 175. 

However, no one guessed the correct number of 94. 

Therefore, we had a draw for the people whose guess was the closest"

 (Calvin Y - [93]; Marlon Z - [93]; Vanessa F [95]).

Congratulations to the lucky winner: Vanessa Froese! 

Follow our Facebook page "Crestview Auto Service" for more chances to win!

#Facebook #Contest #YXE #ValveStem