True or False: Debunking auto maintenance myths

If you’ve driven a car long enough, you’ve probably heard some of these maintenance tips from the grapevine. Some are true, some have a touch of truth and some may be downright wrong. Here, as a means of separating fact from fiction, are some of the more common auto repair maintenance myths debunked.

Myth: You need to change your engine oil every 3,000 miles.
Truth: You’re better off checking your Owner’s manual and following the prescribed frequency for oil changes. This can also change if you use synthetic oil, which generally doesn’t require changing as frequently.

Myth: You shouldn’t worry about changing your oil filter every time you change the oil.
Truth: The oil filter is an inexpensive part. Considering the benefits of a clean oil filter, it doesn’t make sense to skimp when changing the oil. The oil filter’s job is to clean particles out of the oil. Those particles can cause damage and wear to your engine. A new filter will do a better job of keeping the dirt out of your engine oil and engine.

Myth: Your car’s engine burns more gasoline when you run the air conditioning.
Truth: Running the air conditioning has a negligible effect on how hard your engine has to work and how much gasoline you’ll use. Don’t worry about the gas mileage; run the air conditioning and be comfortable.

Myth: A clean air filter can improve gas mileage.
Truth: Not significantly. If you want to improve your gas mileage, make sure that your car is well tuned, the air pressure in the tires is proper and don’t make jack-rabbit starts and stops.

Myth: You should allow your car to warm up for a minute or so before you start driving.
Truth: If this was once true, it’s not a serious concern today. Cars today are designed so you can start them and go. This may change a little in the winter when you want to let the oil warm up a little so that it thins out and reaches the upper oil passages thoroughly but, even then, it’s not the same concern as it once was.

Myth: You should change your spark plugs every 30,000 miles.
Truth: Once again, while this may once have been true, it’s not the case today. Today, you can probably count on getting 100,000 miles out of a set of spark plugs. Likewise, you don’t need to have your car tune up as often.

Myth: You need to bring your car back to the dealer for service to maintain the warranty.
Truth: As long as you keep a documented record of auto service, and maintain all the service as prescribed by the warranty, any qualified auto repair shop can do the service of your vehicle.

Comments

Is your antifreeze safe from freezing this Richmond winter

You still have time to have it checked Well, there’s no denying it – winter tends to get chilly here in Richmond. We have to deal with snow and ice on the roads, scraping the same off our windows and windshield, and staying warm while we drive. Of course, you had your antifreeze checked before winter rolled into town. What?! You didn’t have your antifreeze checked before winter clamped down on Richmond? So, how’s your antifreeze doing? If you haven’t had it checked, there’s really no way of knowing, is there? This car has overheated in the middle of a Richmond winter. But, on the other end of the spectrum, the antifreeze can also freeze if it's not up to its job. Hopefully, you haven’t had a serious problem with your antifreeze already. If you did, you’d probably know. When antifreeze fails, it’s a potentially catastrophic condition for your vehicle’s engine. You could have hoses that have burst because of freezing antifreeze. Worse than that, your engine block may have crac...

Blocks of ice falling from cars in McHenry could cause accidents or damage

We’ve all seen those blocks of snow falling from behind the rear tires of a car when the snow rolls into McHenry . Fortunately, they’re just packed snow that will disintegrate under your vehicle’s tires as you simply drive right through them, right? Don’t count on it. Those blocks of snow are often packed so tight, condensed by the thaw-and-freeze cycle, that they’re anything but oversized snowballs . They’re often more like boulders. Hit one of those blocks and the collision between the block and one of your tires could send you careening off the road or into oncoming traffic. In some cases, they’re so solid you could pound them with a sledgehammer with little effect. They truly can represent a serious road hazard. The problem is that it’s difficult to tell how solidly they’re packed when you see them on the road, left their unwittingly by another driver. Either way, your best bet is to try to avoid them. But you want to be careful dodging blocks of ice in the road, too. You need...

Get out to McHenry Music Festival for a good time and music near to home

Some folks here in McHenry will load up the car and head out to Red Rock Amphitheater near Denver to see a show. Some will go to the MSG Sphere near Las Vegas. Some will go to the Bonaroo Festival Concert to see a show. That’s quite a bit of driving and you’d better make sure your vehicle is up to the trip. What happens, however, if something goes wrong – if your vehicle breaks down while driving there or back? What happens if the show is canceled, as happened this year with the Bonaroo Festival? We’re talking about some serious inconvenience, aren’t we? Wherever you go, whether your driving to Colorado, Nevada, Tennessee or anywhere else in this continent, you want to perform your due diligence and make sure the vehicle is up for the trip before you go. And it doesn’t really matter if you’re driving somewhere to see some live music or for any other purpose. A breakdown can be costly and may put you at the mercy of weather conditions or nefarious characters that come across you while y...

Performance Unlimited Blog

Search This Blog