Did You Know?
Education & Resource Blog
NEVIL TIRE SERVICE
A LITTLE THING- WIPER BLADES?
Wiper blades are one of the most neglected component on todays vehicles.
Ninety percent of all driving decisions are based on a clear unobstructed view of the road ahead, which means good visibility is essential!
Wiper blades are made of rubber and a mix of other substances. Weather effects the life of blades along with use or what we call the flip flop wear and tear.
Windshield temperatures in the south can reach 170 degrees which actually bake the rubber over time. Vehicles parked outside at work or home also can change their contact pattern due to what we call “ parked rubber”.
Most experts recommend replacing blades at least once to twice a year.
Most of us do not think about them when we are not using them. However they need to be there when we do need them.
The largest fear is during a hard rain, when the wipers are a must to see, the blade comes apart scratching an expensive windshield, and creating a dangerous driving condition.
Wiper blades are not very expensive, and we can put a set on for you.
NEVIL TIRE SERVICE
SERPENTINE BELTS
Serpentine belts are drive belts that run many systems, such as electrical power, cooling and overheating, power steering, as well as air conditioning.
When this belt breaks, your engine will stop working, possibly causing serious damage to the engine or components.
Ten out of ten broken serp belts end up causing a break down, stranding the vehicle, possibly at the least expected time, in the worst place, day or night.
This belt has a tremendous job, it spins thousands of times a minute. Many times visual inspection will not reveal small cracks on the inside of the belt which weaken the belt.
Good news is replacing the serp belt periodically can go a long way towards minimizing the risk of a breakdown or serious engine damage caused from belt failure.
Most car manufacturer's do not have a recommended replacement guide, however, according to the Car Council, most serp belt failures are in the four to five year life of the belt, or around 70 thousand miles.
WE RECOMMEND PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE ON THIS ITEM.
NEVIL TIRE SERVICE
RADIATOR HOSES
Your engine is basically a big piece of steel, metal designed to create power.
Look at it this way, steel and metal rubbing at high rates of speed against one another.
The engine requires lubrication ( oil ) and coolant ( antifreeze) radiator, fan, and hoses to circulate the coolant at high rates of return speed.
The job of the upper and lower radiator hoses is to deliver and return engine coolant from the radiator to the engine. The fluid in these hoses is hot, and a chemical that creates havoc inside the radiator hoses.
Visual inspection of the outside of the hoses does not tell us the wear and tear damage on the inside of the hoses. We do squeeze the hose for softness and cracking noise, however this is not a perfect science by no means.
Failure of these hoses create overheating, winter, summer, spring or fall. Failure can possibly cause serious engine damage.
Gates Corporation and the Car Care Council recommends replacement of these hoses every four years or if they feel soft on the ends because there often is no visible, early warning signs of failure.
Running an engine hot and extreme overheating many times results in engine replacement or major engine expense.
This is a small investment to minimize the risk of radiator hose failure.
NEVIL TIRE SERVICE
NEED A TUNE UP?
A tune up is usually a service overlooked until the vehicle begins running noticeably bad. What is also overlooked is by this time, much of what the tune up cost could had been saved in fuel and operating cost by preventative tune up maintenance.
The nature of an engine ' tune up' has changed considerably over the years, however the basics of how a gasoline engine works has not. Clean gas and air needs to be driven to the vehicles cylinders where combustion initiated by a spark plug creates power to move the vehicle.
A standard tune up, or spark plug replacement, done at suggested maintenance interval will make an engine start easier, improve fuel economy, and operate more efficiently. Basically cost less to drive a tuned engine than one that is not.
An item overlooked sometimes in the tune up process is the fuel injector system that delivers fuel to the spark plug and cylinders. If the amount of fuel is restricted the responsiveness in performance and proper use of fuel is restricted.
It doesn't take much to clog or restrict a fuel injector as the injector opening is less than the size of a pinhole. It only takes about 8% to 10% blockage to cause the engine to misfire!This misfire cost you operating money in performance and at the pump!
We recommend flushing the fuel injection system when doing a tune up service.
We recommend inspection of the spark plugs at least every 50 thousand miles.
If your vehicle is running badly, in todays vehicles, computerized electronics are linked to efficient operations. We suggest a small investment of diag using equipment designed to evaluate all components linked. In other words the spark plugs, wires or fuel system may not be causing the rough running of the vehicle.
