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

Brakes...What to know before they go!

Many times a vehicle that has not seen regular maintenance inspections will suddenly have strange noises coming from the wheels when you step on the brakes, or at times just coasting down the road. Notice I said “maintenance inspections” not just “maintenance”. Maintenance inspections do not happen when a “Quick lube” service is used which can be at the dealership or an oil change franchise. It’s the regular maintenance inspections that will keep the surprise noises from happening unexpectedly, because you know the condition of your vehicle.

When the noise starts, many drivers make the assumption, and they may be right, that the car needs brake pads. The owner then calls us up and asks “how much for brake pads?” Our response to the question is “how do you know you need brake pads”? We aren’t trying to be difficult by asking questions; our goal is to make a repair that will address the concern instead of a quick fix, which gets rid of the symptom, but doesn’t completely address what is needed for a proper repair. Failure to perform an inspection before a repair usually leads to a partial fix, getting rid of the symptom but not the cause, which increases stress and frustration levels for all concerned. Often times the brake pads are worn abnormally due to other components not functioning as intended. If we just replaced the brake pads, the new pads would wear out very quickly, increasing your expenses beyond what they should have been.

Each year vehicle quality has improved with cars and trucks lasting much longer. The time between service intervals has doubled and tripled on many vehicles.  Although brake systems on cars and trucks have improved and correspondingly last longer, the basic system is essentially the same as it was 30 years ago. We have a hydraulic system to activate the brake system and at each wheel are friction surfaces that rub against each other to stop the vehicle when pressure is applied. It is these surfaces that wear out over time, but the components that apply the pressure are also under a lot of heat and stress each time we step on the brake pedal. The heat created takes a toll on all of the friction and hydraulic components; through the inspection process it is determined whether the brake linings, calipers, wheel cylinders, hydraulic hoses and master cylinder, hydraulic fluid and more are performing properly. Those components that are underperforming or worn need to be serviced to get the expected life out of the new brake pads.  At a minimum, with any brake repair, the moving parts such as calipers, mounts and backing plates need to be cleaned and lubricated and the drums or rotors need to have a clean-machined surface to operate effectively. 

Brake systems are sealed so the hydraulic fluid won’t be contaminated from moisture and particles in the air but over time this can still happen. Also each time we step on and release the brake pedal the fluid moves back and forth, which over time will contaminate the system with material from inside the hydraulic components and lines. These contaminants, which are abrasive, build up enough to cause increased wear and can lead to much bigger repair bills if neglected. For this reason flushing the system is recommended based on time and mileage intervals.

By design and for safety reasons, brakes need to function at full capacity until they are at the minimum wear specification. This is before they are completely worn away. As the linings get thinner they will overheat causing the brakes to be much less effective; you would notice this more during a fast stop as you try to avoid hitting something. When the brakes overheat your stopping distance is longer even though you need it shorter. 

Not all brake lining materials are created equal; rather the life of an entry-level lining may be half the life of a premium lining. Also brakes can make some noise and still be “ok”, but we have found that when entry level or medium grade brake linings are used, the life expectancy and “squeaky brake” syndrome are more prevalent. Premium brake linings are well worth the additional up front costs due to the extended life and quieter operation.

The introduction of Anti-Lock brakes has been the biggest change over the years. This is an add-on to the basic system, which effectively uses a powerful computer system to pulsate the brakes for the driver when the tires start to skid. This limits the skidding and allows the driver the control to steer around objects instead of hitting them. 

#Brakes #Inspection #BrakePads #Calipers #Fluids #TrustedSaskatoon

www.crestviewautoservice.ca - "We'll Keep Your Car Young A Long Time" 

Brakes! More than Brake Pad Replacement

Many times a vehicle that has not seen regular maintenance inspections will suddenly have strange noises coming from the wheels when you step on the brakes, or at times just coasting down the road. Notice I said “maintenance inspections” not just “maintenance”. Maintenance inspections do not happen when a “Quick lube” service is used which can be at the dealership or an oil change franchise. It’s the regular maintenance inspections that will keep the surprise noises from happening unexpectedly, because you know the condition of your vehicle.

When the noise starts, many drivers make the assumption, and they may be right, that the car needs brake pads. The owner then calls us up and asks “how much for brake pads?” Our response to the question is “how do you know you need brake pads”? We aren’t trying to be difficult by asking questions; our goal is to make a repair that will address the concern instead of a quick fix, which gets rid of the symptom, but doesn’t completely address what is needed for a proper repair. Failure to perform an inspection before a repair usually leads to a partial fix, getting rid of the symptom but not the cause, which increases stress and frustration levels for all concerned. Often times the brake pads are worn abnormally due to other components not functioning as intended. If we just replaced the brake pads, the new pads would wear out very quickly, increasing your expenses beyond what they should have been.

Each year vehicle quality has improved with cars and trucks lasting much longer. The time between service intervals has doubled and tripled on many vehicles.  Although brake systems on cars and trucks have improved and correspondingly last longer, the basic system is essentially the same as it was 30 years ago. We have a hydraulic system to activate the brake system and at each wheel are friction surfaces that rub against each other to stop the vehicle when pressure is applied. It is these surfaces that wear out over time, but the components that apply the pressure are also under a lot of heat and stress each time we step on the brake pedal. The heat created takes a toll on all of the friction and hydraulic components; through the inspection process it is determined whether the brake linings, calipers, wheel cylinders, hydraulic hoses and master cylinder, hydraulic fluid and more are performing properly. Those components that are underperforming or worn need to be serviced to get the expected life out of the new brake pads.  At a minimum, with any brake repair, the moving parts such as calipers, mounts and backing plates need to be cleaned and lubricated and the drums or rotors need to have a clean-machined surface to operate effectively. 

Brake systems are sealed so the hydraulic fluid won’t be contaminated from moisture and particles in the air but over time this can still happen. Also each time we step on and release the brake pedal the fluid moves back and forth, which over time will contaminate the system with material from inside the hydraulic components and lines. These contaminants, which are abrasive, build up enough to cause increased wear and can lead to much bigger repair bills if neglected. For this reason flushing the system is recommended based on time and mileage intervals.

By design and for safety reasons, brakes need to function at full capacity until they are at the minimum wear specification. This is before they are completely worn away. As the linings get thinner they will overheat causing the brakes to be much less effective; you would notice this more during a fast stop as you try to avoid hitting something. When the brakes overheat your stopping distance is longer even though you need it shorter. 

Not all brake lining materials are created equal; rather the life of an entry-level lining may be half the life of a premium lining. Also brakes can make some noise and still be “ok”, but we have found that when entry level or medium grade brake linings are used, the life expectancy and “squeaky brake” syndrome are more prevalent. Premium brake linings are well worth the additional up front costs due to the extended life and quieter operation.

The introduction of Anti-Lock brakes has been the biggest change over the years. This is an add-on to the basic system, which effectively uses a powerful computer system to pulsate the brakes for the driver when the tires start to skid. This limits the skidding and allows the driver the control to steer around objects instead of hitting them. 

#Brakes #Inspection #BrakePads #Calipers #Fluids #TrustedSaskatoon

www.crestviewautoservice.ca - "We'll Keep Your Car Young A Long Time" 

Brake Safety

Do you have questions about brakes and how they work? August is Brake Safety Awareness Month! Send us a message and we will try to answer as many questions as possible in our upcoming posts. 

Stay tuned for more information from the Crestview team, a proud partner of trustedsaskatoon.com and the only NAPA AutoPro in Saskatoon.

#Brakes #Safety #Tips #Maintenance #Inspections #Trusted

www.crestviewautoservice.ca

Month of Myths - #7

Myth 7: The only fluids I need to worry about are oil and gas.

Most people neglect the other fluids in their vehicle, these include:

• Brake
• Coolant/Anti-Freeze
• Power Steering
• Transmission
• Washer Fluid

This two-part article will provide more information on fluids and the importance of regular maintenance. If you have any questions about your vehicle, our service advisors are ready to answer your call. (306) 244-6522. 

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”

Are your shocks and struts in control of your ride? (*Part 1*)

First, a little trivia about the life of struts and shocks; research by manufacturers shows that on the average road (not Saskatoon’s pothole roads) each strut or shock on your... car cycles (stops and starts moving) 1100 times per kilometer. That works out to be 88 million times in 80,000 kilometers! That’s 88 with 6 zeros added, WOW! When they get worn out they cycle even more. Your vehicle feels the wear, a vehicle with as little as 80,000 kilometers can take an additional 3 meters or more to stop than a vehicle with new struts and shocks! That can be the difference between making a quick controlled stop, or panic and possibly an accident.

Struts and shocks are the components on your vehicle that control the up, down and rocking or sway movement of your vehicle. The struts and shocks don’t hold the vehicle up, that’s the job of the springs. When a vehicle is new, the struts and shocks allow us to have a safe controlled ride. Over time, the struts and shocks are slowly wearing and most drivers do not realize how worn they are until after they have been replaced. The difference in ride and vehicle control after replacement of worn struts and shocks can be dramatic.

In the past we used a visual inspection and a bounce test of the vehicle to determine if they were good or bad. If we saw oil on the outside, or if the vehicle cycled too much after a good bounce we recommended new ones. With the newer manufacturing technology, this only works on struts and shocks that are extremely worn. Over time, as the internal seals, oil and components of struts and shocks wear, they lose the ability to control the springs. This becomes more obvious after driving for a while, the vehicle is relatively stable when starting out but after driving for some time, it becomes less stable and has a mushy feel to the ride. This extra movement creates excessive heat causing the shocks and struts to lose the ability to control the springs.

Watch for part 2 coming soon.

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

Rebuilding Brakes on Vintage and Collector Cars

The last of the Crewe-built Bentleys

Rebuilding a rear brake caliper on a vintage Rolls Royce 

Brake jobs used to be so simple!  Pop a set of pads into the calipers, and you were good to go.  No more, especially on high end cars like this Rolls.  Let’s look at what goes into a quality brake job on a classic high end car like this, using a 1980s Rolls Royce as an example.

When a car is new, everything moves freely and it’s easy to do routine service.  For the first service you can often still do pads only, but it gets more complex from there.  By the second pad change the car is certainly ready for new rotors.  When do you need rotors?

There are three reasons you may need new rotors:

1 – They are worn below the minimum safe limit, as marked on the rotor

2 – The rotors are out of true, and the car shudders when stopping

3 – The rotors are glazed with rust, so braking effectiveness is lost

Here is an example of a brake rotor showing both wear (1) and rust glazing (3)  This deterioration is all on the inside. The other side - facing the wheel - looked remarkably good.  Don't be fooled.

Rust on a brake rotor makes it slippery

When working on vintage cars 2 and 3 are common, but you see cars with 1,2, and 3 all together.  Rarely do you see (1) by itself. 

Measuring a brake rotor to see if it's too thin.  The numbers tell the story.

On most mass produced cars the rotors pop off with a few minutes work.  Not so on a Crewe-built (pre-1999) Rolls Royce or Bentley.  To get the front rotors off you are looking at a few hours work to remove the two calipers off each side, then the pipes and then the hub.  Once the hub is off the rotor itself can be removed with the whole thing clamped in a vise.

Separating brake rotor from hub - Rolls Royce Shadow

The rear hubs are a much more complex affair.  You need a special RR/B hydraulic puller to get the rear hubs apart, and to get them off the car.  Once they are on the ground the disassembly requires a press and various accessories.

Don’t be surprised if you find years or decades of neglect when you pull rear hubs.  Totally rotted rotors, and ruined bearings and races are common because some less-service-oriented people put difficult jobs off till “later” and later never comes.

On a newer car you’d just pop a rotor on at this point, but these Crewe RR products are old enough that shortcuts will come back and bite you.  We suggest removing and examining the wheel bearings, and replacing them if they are anything less than flawless.  In most cases, they are at the ends of their lives.  Don’t forget to do the seals.

Worn out wheel bearings and seals

We pack hubs with modern synthetic grease; all the hub rebuilding is done off the car on the bench.  Otherwise the process of bearing service is much the same as thirty years ago.  We use drifts to knock out the old races, and a press to set the new ones in place.

Rebuilt rear hub ready to install

We suggest splitting and rebuilding the calipers on any Rolls Royce that is more than fifteen years old because leakage is common when they get past that age.  And when one leaks, they are all ready.

Rebuilding brake calipers

When the calipers are apart consider refinishing the caliper bodies using the new hi-temp powder or ceramic finishes.  That’s what they do on newer high end cars and it’s a very attractive touch

Rebuilt hub, new rotor, and rebuilt and refinished brake calipers

If your hoses are more than 10 years old you should replace them.  Hoses rot from inside and old ones may blow with no warning.  

New brake hoses

Most owners of collector cars have paid for more than one brake job on modern luxury cars.  How does work like this compare, in terms of cost and time?  The short answer is . . . expect way more of both.

When you do brakes on a modern car the only parts are the pads, rotors, and ancillaries like anti-rattle clips.  On a vintage car the job may include bearings, seals, hoses, caliper parts, and even new hardware.  In addition, hard to get classic parts may be more expensive.  Finally, there may be quality problems.  You can be sure of getting quality brake parts for a late model Mercedes or BMW simply by going to the dealer.  For an old car that may not be an option, and the mail-order stuff can range in quality from wonderful to total junk.  

In general, you get what you pay for.  Here's my rule of thumb:  If you have to choose between five versions of a part (like brake pads) from known reputable vendors and the prices vary widely, the quality will vary just as widely.  You are a lot less likely to get burned buying the top priced part than the bottom priced one.  When prices for the same part range from $29 to $199 the $29 part is usually junk, and the $199 part is probably topnotch.  I know that's not what some people want to hear, but in my experience it's true.

When you fit low quality parts you are asking to do the job over, sometimes with additional damage.

The time to perform the additional steps I outline above can add up too.  Pulling and assembling the rear hubs on a 1970s Rolls Royce or Bentley is a solid two days of work.  And teardown can expose unknown problems, which may need dealing with now.  Rebuilding front hubs is more than a day's job.  Rebuilding the calipers will be another day and a half, plus the time and expense of refinishing the caliper bodies if you decide to do that.  

Rust and corrosion can double those times on cars that have run on salty winter roads.  On a classic car where parts are scarce you may spend days getting corroded stuff apart without damage because it's simply not replaceable at any reasonable cost.

And here's one more thought to consider:  Most people who service late model cars know the owners have limited ownership horizons. They will not own the car they' re fixing today in 1 year or 2 or 5.  Things that may wear out "later" will be someone else's problem.  Not so on the collector car your dad purchased and your son now dreams of owning, when you are old.  For that person, service must be done to a high standard, with a view toward a far distant horizon.

I hope this makes clear some of the additional challenges we face when doing a seemingly common service on an older car.  

John Elder Robison is the general manager of J E Robison Service Company, independent restoration and repair specialists in Springfield, Massachusetts.  John is a longtime technical consultant to the Mercedes, BMW, Porsche and Rolls Royce Owner's Clubs, and he’s owned and restored many of these fine vehicles.  Find him online at www.robisonservice.com or in the real world at 413-785-1665

YOU can Save Money with Your Automotive Repairs, follow theses steps

January 29, 2014

It has been some time since l have updated our company blog, but we have appreciated all the replies, comments we have had on this blog. So we have decided to show some simple steps that will help you save more money with your repair bills.

I have been working on a package for all our clients, or new clients to down load, providing tips on how to save money with you're automotive repairs. Just by following some simple steps, that will add years to the life of you're vehicle. Not to mention the savings you will enjoy.

If there are any topics on repairs that you need advise on, please feel free to leave a comment or just email us your concerns, and we will answer them as professionally as possible. 

Our mission statement has never changed, taking care of our customers is priority number one, we work on an appointment base, this way you are in and out with any surprises. We provide you with either a verbal or written quote on all the work that is needed, before we do any of the work.  

One of the outstanding features we offer our clients is all the work we do on your vehicle is calculated by the hour not by what it calls on the book. So if book job pays 2.5 hours, and we do it in 1.5 hours then you would be charged 1.5 hours, not like some shops who charge by the book, and you would be paying 2.5 hours for work that was done in 1.5 hours. 

Educating our customers is an important part of our service we provide, listening to what you have to say or need done is very important to us. This way we are all on the same page. 

For more up to date information you can always visit our Fan Page on FaceBook, and clicking the "Like Button" means a lot to us. We have made every effort, for you to share this information with your friends, who also need advise on how to keep their vehicle running at peak performance. 

Here is the information that l said we would supply you with for keeping your repair costs as low as possible, by following the steps in that package l designed for all of you who want to save on repair bills. 

How to Read Tire Codes and Understand What They Mean from jfbmarketing

RJ PICK UP SERVICE
241A Main Street North
Uxbridge, Ontario, L9P 1C3
Phone 905-852-4238
Email: rjpickupservice@hotmail.com
TIRECRAFT!! We're driving towards a cure with every car we serviceshow your support and go pink!!

What should I know when servicing brakes and clutches?

March 9, 2012

Some important safety steps to protect you when you are servicing brakes and clutches

-Clean and service brakes in a separate work area.

-Use approved respiratory protection when necessary.

-Remove dust with a vacuum equipped with a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter.

-Wet assembly down with low pressure water or gentle spray when a vacuum cleaner is not available. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.

-Collect the washings and dust on floors and around equipment using a vacuum cleaner with (HEPA) filter or wet sweeping for proper disposal.

-Do not use compressed air or dry brush to clean brakes. Do not bang the drum to remove dust.


  We will be having a customer
"Appreciation Day"Revised DateSaturday April 28th from 9am - 3pmMore information to follow.... 

RJ PICK UP SERVICE
241A Main Street North
Uxbridge, Ontario, L9P 1C3
Phone 905-852-4238
Email: EMAIL US
TIRECRAFT!!   We're driving towards a cure with every car we serviceshow your support and go pink!!

Here is Eleven Tips for YOU to Keep Your Vehicle Running Smooth!

February 23, 2012

Follow these steps and you will not only have a very efficient running vehicle it will save you a lot of unnecessary money on future maintenance that can be avoid by following these steps.

1. It is ideal for auto-mobile owners to refer to the user manual for fixing certain minor problems within the engine. As a thumb rule, change the oil filter on a regular basis, each 5,000 - 6,000 Klms. With every second oil change you should have your tires rotated.

2. Checking the tire inflation is very important. Tires, which are under-inflated, result in loss of fuel efficiency. This is one cheap form of safety and preventive maintenance. Check the tires every month. Especially during the winter months, with the drop of temperature, will effect your PSI in your tires.

3. Check all the fluids that include power steering, brake, antifreeze and wind shield washer solvent and trans-axle/transmission, since these fluids ensure safety and good performance of a vehicle and are an important measure of taking care of your vehicle.

4. Since a restricted fuel injector/polluted spark plug reduces the efficiency of fuel by 30%, an auto mobile owner has to be cautious while tuning up the engine.

5. Clean the battery posts and cables when needed and check the same for corrosion. Besides, check battery fluids and fill them if low except for batteries that are maintenance-free.

6. Inspect engine belts always since worn belts are likely to affect performance of the engine. See if these belts have developed any cracks and try fixing the problem.

7. Lubricate the chassis often, since it extends life of engine components.

8. Check the lighting system including turn signals, tail-lights, brake and headlights.

9. Auto mobile owners need to check washer blades of the wind shield for tears and cracks and replace them once a year.

10. Always check for air filtration system in the engine. Owners need to do this at every oil change for confirming if there is any damage or clogging. It ensures better functioning of the vehicle.

11. Always keep the user manual handy. No matter whether the engine is minor or major, the moment it gives any problem, owners may refer the same for fixing temporary problems before taking the vehicle to a qualified technician.

Short Video On Tire Inflation


Hope this article will provide you with the motivation in making sure your vehicle is always running at it's peak performance. If you have enjoyed this article please share it, always appreciated.   We will be having a customer
"Appreciation Day"Revised DateSaturday April 28th from 9am - 3pmMore information to follow....
All The Best
RJ PICKUP SERVICE
241A Main Street North
Uxbridge, Ontario L9P 1C3
905-852-4238

TIRECRAFT!!

We're driving towards a cure with every car we serviceshow your support and go pink!!

How to Read Tire Codes and Understand What They Mean from jfbmarketing

An Interview with Michael: All About Brakes, Part I

by Colette Cooley, Cars for Keeps Office Manager

Michael Chan is our head mechanic at Cars For Keeps. It has been noted and commented on that Michael makes a few extra steps when he's doing a brake job, so I asked him what he does special when replacing the brakes on a car. His first reply was, “I do them fast”.

He also said, “These days when a cars brake pads need replacing, the rotors are usually down to their minimum specifications and the cost of replacing them versus the cost to have them turned is fairly close anyway, and it is good to put new to new together so both surfaces are correct." Michael went on to explain that when he's doing front brake pads and rotors, the hardware really should be changed out for new as well, but if the customer declines, "I will clean them up to get the corrosion off, then put a special lubricant on the slides and hardware to make sure it slides free and clear. "










When Michael takes the rotors off the hub, they are almost coated in corrosion, so he uses another special corrosion hub cleaner on it that gives it "a nice and true surface to mount the rotors, which cuts down on premature wear on the rotors." According to Michael, if the incorrect lubricant is used you may as well not bother cleaning the hub. "You must make sure all the caliper pins are lubricated correctly so as not to get uneven wear on the brake pads. We make sure the tire pressure is at spec on all brake jobs.”

I asked him what people can do to get the optimal performance life out of their brakes, and he came up with a surprising answer which will be covered in next week's blog - so stay tuned!