AUTONET TV

Round and Round (Wheel Balancing)

In a perfect world, all wheels and tires would be perfectly round and weigh exactly the same at every point of the wheel.  Unfortunately, they're not, and if they're out of balance, they can reduce the lifespan of your tires, make your vehicle shake like a carnival ride, and maybe even damage a few suspension parts along the way.  You don't want that!

Wheel balancing, sometimes known as tire balancing, is a process by which a technician makes sure your tire/wheel assembly has evenly distributed weight.  If it isn't, it can give your ride bad vibrations.  If you feel your vehicle's steering wheel shaking, it can mean unbalanced wheels in the front. If you can feel a vibration in your seats, it could be unbalanced rear wheels.

In addition to your vehicle vibrating at higher speeds, there are other signs that your wheels are out of balance. You may see uneven tread wear, or you may notice you aren't getting the kind of fuel economy you used to. 

When you experience these problems, bring your vehicle in, and we can put your wheels on a machine designed to detect any imbalance.  The technician will start your wheels spinning, and a computer will determine how much weight is needed where.  Then, the technician can add small weights on the inside or outside of your wheel rim to precisely balance out the uneven weight.  When the wheel is balanced correctly, it will spin evenly and smoothly.

Sometimes your vehicle will hit a pothole or object in the road that dislodges one of those weights, which can throw that wheel out of balance again.  If so, you'll have to bring it in to have that corrected

Some drivers confuse wheel balancing with wheel alignment. Alignment is making sure the wheels are perpendicular to the road and parallel with each other.  Sometimes your vehicle will need both balancing and alignment done at the same time.

No vibrations are good vibrations when it comes to your wheels.  Bring your vehicle to us, and we'll perform a balancing act to keep your vehicle riding smoothly down the road.

Arizona Auto and Radiator Repair
1255 E FRY BLVD
Sierra Vista, AZ 85635
520-459-2216
http://www.azautorepair.net

Restore Your Get-Up-and-Go (Fuel and Air Induction Cleaning)

You may have heard the old saying, "My get-up-and-go got up and went." If your vehicle's engine's fuel economy is noticeably worse, your engine is idling roughly or stalling or your vehicle's acceleration isn't what it used to be, ask your service advisor if you might need your vehicle's fuel and air induction systems cleaned.

As the hours pile up on your engine, carbon deposits can build up.  It's not unusual for some of the impurities and additives in fuel to leave behind a black residue that eventually will negatively affect your fuel economy and performance. Maybe you're noticing your engine is harder to start, you hear knocking or pinging in your engine and your vehicle just doesn't have the pep it used to.

While it's a sophisticated process with a lot of components, a gasoline engine essentially produces power by drawing in air from the outside and mixing it with fuel in the cylinders where this blend of fuel and air is ignited by spark plugs in synchronized explosions.

The fuel and air enter your engine through the fuel induction system and air induction system. Because of things like high operating temperatures and impurities, carbon in the fuel can leave behind dark, sooty deposits in the fuel induction system such as the fuel injectors and the throttle body. These and other residue reduce your engine's efficiency and performance. Our service center can use special fuel injector cleaners to remove those deposits from your engine.

The technician may manually clean some of the deposits and also put a fuel additive in the fuel tank that will get rid of other deposits that are still in the fuel system

Keeping the air induction system clean is also important.  A technician can use a liquid cleaner specially designed for the job. Not only can this improve your fuel economy, it may also reduce exhaust emissions and help your engine last longer.

Most gasoline now contains detergents that help reduce or prevent these problems, but direct injection is now being used in more vehicles that are more susceptible to clogging. Ask your service advisor if your vehicle could benefit from fuel and air induction cleaning. 

Arizona Auto and Radiator Repair
1255 E FRY BLVD
Sierra Vista, AZ 85635
520-459-2216
http://www.azautorepair.net

A Clean Start (Battery Cleaning)

You may be fanatical about keeping the outside of your vehicle clean.  But what about what's under the hood? Have you ever thought about how dirt and grime may be affecting your engine's components?

One of the most important parts under your hood to keep clean is your vehicle's battery.  With a daily barrage of dirt and moisture, outside parts of your battery can corrode, namely the cables and terminals.

Gases vented by batteries can also promote corrosion.  That can create connection problems and affect your vehicle's electrical system.  If corrosion is not cleaned off, it may damage wires and terminals so badly that they will stop properly conducting electricity.  At that point, they may need replacing.

When you bring your vehicle to us for a battery inspection and cleaning, we will remove any corrosion and put corrosion-resistant protection on each post. A technician will also visually inspect your battery.  Plus, we can test how much life is in your battery as part of a more comprehensive battery service. 

Batteries don't last forever and should be regularly cleaned, inspected, and tested.  Usually, they'll need to be replaced anywhere from three to five years after they were first installed, but their lifespan depends on how, where, and how much you drive.  Your battery is a very important component of your vehicle.  Keep yours in tip-top shape, and it's less likely to let you down when you need it most.

Arizona Auto and Radiator Repair
1255 E FRY BLVD
Sierra Vista, AZ 85635
520-459-2216
http://www.azautorepair.net

Breathe Easier (Cabin Air Filter)

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 and inspect the air filter; it's usually located around the glove compartment, under the dash or sometimes in the engine compartment. If you wish, your service advisor can show you what condition yours is in; if it needs replacing, you'll be able to see the dirt, bugs, leaves and other crud that accumulates after several months of driving. 

Each vehicle's manufacturer recommends an interval after which your cabin air filter should be replaced. Depending on how much and where you drive, you might find yourself needing a replacement more or less often than the manual suggests.

Just like you clean your furnace filters periodically, it's wise to do the same with your vehicle.  After you do, you'll find you might just breathe easier!

Arizona Auto and Radiator Repair
1255 E FRY BLVD
Sierra Vista, AZ 85635
520-459-2216
http://www.azautorepair.net