Posted on 9/29/2024
When the leaves fall, you might take a sightseeing trip to see them at peak color. Or you may simply live in a spot where there are a lot of trees. When those leaves get wet, you'd be surprised to learn just how slippery they can be. We all know ice is slippery to drive on. What causes tires to slip on ice is a thin layer of water that comes between the road and your tires. Wet leaves can have the same effect. The surfaces of leaves are super slick when they're dry, even worse when you add a little moisture. There's one other thing about leaves. They are smaller than each tire's footprint, so your tread grips the pavement with uneven traction. One study showed that your stopping distance can more than double on a surface covered with wet leaves when compared to that same road when it's dry. Double! That can spell trouble. So if you find yourself heading into an area with wet leaves on the road, slow down before you get into a ... read more
Posted on 9/22/2024
When you get in your vehicle, how does it smell? If it's not so nice, it may be time to have your cabin air filter changed. It's not the same one that filters out the air used in the engine. The cabin air filter screens out dust and other particulates from the outside air so when it enters the cabin, you don't have to breathe them in when you're driving. Maybe your commute finds you traveling along dusty rural roads, or maybe you pass by some city factories that have smokestacks spewing out smoky exhausts. Or in spring, maybe you notice your allergies acting up because of the pollen in the air. The cabin air filter will remove a lot of those things. The more it filters out, the more those small particles add up. That reduces how much airflow the heating/air conditioning system can handle, and you may notice not as much air is coming through your vehicle's vents. That can also be a sign you need your air filter replaced. Our technicians will remove an ... read more
Posted on 9/8/2024
Most light vehicles (under 10,000 pounds/4,500 kg) in North America sold from 2008 model year on have a feature that many people are confused about. It's the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). You may have some experience with it yourself if you own a newer vehicle. Vehicles with TPMS have sensors in each tire that are supposed to warn the driver when tire pressure gets dangerously low. That's important because tires that are significantly under-inflated can cause very serious accidents. Unfortunately, many drivers think the TPMS does all the work keeping track of tire pressure. To them, as long as the warning light or gauge isn’t giving a warning, the tires must have the proper amount of air pressure in them. That's not the case. Tire pressure monitoring systems aren't all created equal. Some give you a digital readout of the pressures in each individual tire. But many simply have a warning light that looks like the cross sect ... read more