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Your tires are the only part of your vehicle that come into physical contact with the road, making proper tire maintenance a crucial element of driver safety. With the ability to stop, start, and transport us wherever we wish to go, having well maintained tires can mean the difference between a pleasant Sunday drive and a Sunday spent in the shop. There are three crucial components to consider when deciding if it is time to replace your tires: your normal driving conditions, tread wear, and the...

Before you hit the road this summer let us assist you in making yourself aware of a few important inspections and checks you can make to prepare yourself for those long, hot road trips. With a quick pre-trip vehicle check-up it is easy to determine how road-ready a vehicle is before experiencing problems on vacation or during travels. Conducting a vehicle inspection before leaving will help to avoid troublesome repairs and prevent potential safety hazards that result from a break down far from ...

With fluctuating fuel prices soaring higher each day, we will do almost anything to save money on transportation especially when it comes to conserving fuel.   However, traditional tips such as turning off the air conditioning and driving slowly are not the only ways to conserve gas mileage. In fact there are many simple, painless steps any vehicle owner can take to ensure their car is operating as efficiently as possible with minimal effort. Taking these steps to conserve gas mileage will not ...

It’s peak pothole season out there and no one is immune to their sneaky destruction. We’ve all hit them at some point, and every time it happens, you see it only a second before it gets you, often too late to miss it. These little road hazards lay in wait, with their dips, bumps, and sharp toothy edges, just waiting to ruin your day. They can cause a sudden jolt all the way up to a blown tire.  And, I hate to report, they aren’t disappearing any time soon. Potholes are every tire’s sworn en...

When it comes to determining the age of a tire, it is easiest to identify when the tire was manufactured by reading its Tire Identification Number (often referred to as the tire’s serial number or DOT number). Unlike vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and the serial numbers used on many other consumer goods (which identify one specific item), Tire Identification Numbers are really batch codes that identify several components.   The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Tr...

  Congratulations! You’ve taken the first step in winter safety and decided to invest in a set of winter tires. There are a few things you are going to want to remember about your winter tires, especially if this is your first time making the transition. A few things you may want to know:    Depending on the kind of tires you select, you may notice a change in the feel/sound of your commute. Because winter tires have more of a grip on the road, they might sound louder depending on your vehi...

When your car's "Check Engine" light comes on, it's usually accompanied by a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. The light could mean a costly problem, like a bad catalytic converter, or it could be something minor, like a loose gas cap. But in many cases, it means at minimum that you'll be visiting your mechanic to locate the malfunction and get the light turned off.   The Check Engine light, more formally known as the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL), is a signal from the car's engine...

Another winter storm coming? Before you rush to the store for the last gallon of milk and loaf of bread, you’ll want to be sure your car is ready to battle the elements. Follow these tips before venturing out into the winter wonderland.   Check your Cooling System. Have your mechanic check your hoses, belts and anti-freeze. A weakened hose or belt can break and leave you stranded, or a weak solution of anti-freeze can ice up and damage your cooling system. Hoses shouldn’t have cracks or bec...

If you’re old enough, you probably remember the cars from the late 70s and early 80s that weren’t good for much more than 120,000 miles before they started to develop real problems and were junkyard bound. Today, thanks to improvements in design, metallurgy, manufacturing techniques and machining, those days are over and it’s not at all unusual to see vehicles with well over 200,000 miles on the odometer and still running strong. Here’s a quick rundown of some vehicles to consider which hav...

Tires all look sort of the same…round and black…and people tend to think tires don’t change much over the years. That’s really not true, though – engineers and designers are constantly working on advances in tire designs for more miles, better fuel economy and better performance. Here’s a rundown of current trends in tire technology you may not have been aware of: Tall, skinny tires are coming back. If you’ve ever ridden a beach cruiser bike vs. a racing bike, you know that skinny ...