Repairs are costly and we all want to avoid them including our team here at Westerville Automotive! It's our job and we take it seriously. Here, it is all about keeping your car or truck serviced and looking for problems "before" they happen to avoid those high repair costs and ensuring you avoid any breakdowns when it's hot outside or cold outside as either is a problem for our Westerville drivers! Nobody can forsee a flat tire or blowout due to running over a nail, but we can avoid some of the regular issues we see all the time such as....
Battery issues when it's hot outside. Nobody realizes it is a problem when it is warm outside as your car or truck isn't cold as a rock trying to start and putting a heavy load on it so why is it a problem? Right? The issue is heat and vibration leading to internal breakdown and eventual failure. Now, the heat we can't avoid it simply is hot outside during the summer months but we can make sure the battery is securely mounted and that if you don't have a sealed battery your battery fluid needs to be checked to ensure there "is" battery fluid in there! We check that when you are in for a standard service visit and will recommend that if your car or truck battery is 2-3 years old that you replace it. We can test it to see how well it is holding up. When you go to replace that battery, you should consider a sealed car or truck battery to avoid any issues with battery fluids!
Keep your tires properly inflated. You don't consider your tire pressure when it is hot outside but actually under-inflated tires can cause them to overheat and increase the likelihood of a blowout. You need to check your tire pressure when they are cool (& check your spare tire!) as they lose about 1 pound of pressure per month through normal seepage. The correct tire pressure is listed in your owner's manual or you can come by the shop here to have us check it for you! *Never use the tire pressure that is listed on the tire itself.
Fluids are always important. Most engine fluids lubricate and act as a coolant and when they are low the cooling effect is reduced causing overheating and problems to start causing issues. You will start seeing warning lights flashing on your dash and then there will be high repair bills. We always check your vehicle fluids including motor oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, and brake fluid to ensure they are right and are topped off using the correct fluid specified by your owner's manual.
Keep it cool. We all like to be comfortable and take that air conditioning for granted not knowing that it actually has been proven to reduce fatigue and increase driver alertness! All great things increasing driver safety and driver happiness. When that air conditioning system in your car or truck is not working properly a couple of things happen quickly. You immediately become uncomfortable and unhappy which is a given and typically the timing is inconvenient and you can't get your vehicle serviced which is awful with your bill at a time you don't want to spend the cash on it! Hopefully, it is only your a/c refrigerant level that is low or a cabin filter needs to be changed which is easy. We can fix the issue for you whatever it is however, we recommend that you have your car or truck air conditioning system serviced before the hot weather becomes a problem being proactive vs reactive so you control the costs and timing.
Here at Westerville Automotive in Westerville we treat your car or truck as it if belongs to our family and we love our family! We want to avoid high repair bills or an unanticipated breakdown. It is all about your vehicle safety and allowing you to drive comfortably in any season. If you have any questions about your car or truck or hear a new sound please feel free to drop by the shop or give us a call to allow us to get you on the road quickly and affordably!
