February 14, 2012

PCV Valve Replacement At Dave’s Auto Repair

Filed under: PCV Valve — davesaut779 @ 8:13 pm

Today’s Rohnert Park car care article focuses on PCV valve replacement. The PCV valve is a little, inexpensive part that does a big job for your Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Subaru. PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation.

The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil. When the Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Subaru engine’s running, fuel is burned to generate power. Most of the exhaust from combustion goes out through the exhaust system. But some exhaust blows by the pistons and goes into the lower engine, or crankcase.

These hot gases are about seventy percent unburned fuel. This can dilute and contaminate the oil, leading to damaging engine oil sludge. It can also cause engine corrosion in your Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Subaru. PCV Valve Replacement At Dave's Auto RepairAt high speeds, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak.

Rohnert Park car owners need to know that over time, the vented gases will gum up the PCV valve and it won’t work well. That can lead to all of the problems I’ve already described, oil leaks, excessive oil consumption and wasted gas.

Fortunately, it’s very easy to test the PCV valve and quick and inexpensive to replace it at Dave’s Auto Repair. Even so, it’s often overlooked because many Rohnert Park drivers don’t know about it.

Check your Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Subaru owner’s manual or ask your Dave’s Auto Repair advisor. If this is the first time you’ve heard of a PCV valve, you might be in line for a PCV valve replacement.

Please ask us about your PCV valve. For the price of a couple of burger combo meals, you can avoid some very expensive deep engine repairs.

At Dave’s Auto Repair in Petaluma California (94952) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707.763.8365. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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February 10, 2012

Serpentine Belt Replacement At Dave’s Auto Repair

Filed under: Serpentine Belt — davesaut779 @ 8:33 pm

Today’s Dave’s Auto Repair article focuses on your serpentine belt. Your serpentine belt is a long belt that’s driven by your engine. It winds around several accessories that power important automotive systems. Let’s go over them.

First, the serpentine belt drives your air conditioning system. Next, the belt powers the alternator.

The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering and power brakes. Serpentine Belt Replacement At Dave's Auto RepairIn some Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Subarus, power steering may have an electric drive and power brakes can be vacuum driven.

And, on many vehicles, the serpentine belt powers the water pump (on some cars, the water pump is powered by the timing belt).

Your Dave’s Auto Repair service technician can perform a visual inspection of the belt to see if it has any cracks that signal the belt could fail soon and will measure the amount of belt material to make sure there is enough.

Petaluma drivers should be aware that there’s a special, spring loaded pulley attached to the engine called the tensioner pulley and sometimes an extra pulley call the idler pulley. Their job is to make sure there’s a constant tension on the serpentine belt so that it doesn’t slip. The spring can become worn and no longer provide the necessary pressure to keep the belt tight. That’s why it’s often recommended that the tensioner, and the idler pulley if so equipped, be replaced at the same time as the serpentine belt.

All in all, the serpentine belt’s an important part for the function of your Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Subaru. And it’s not that expensive to replace at Dave’s Auto Repair – so it’s good to do so before it fails.

At Dave’s Auto Repair in Petaluma California (94952) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707.763.8365. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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February 2, 2012

Severe Driving In Petaluma

Filed under: Severe Service — davesaut779 @ 9:41 pm

Most Petaluma motorists know that their owner’s manuals have schedules for preventive maintenance. Things like oil changes, transmission service and so on. They say you should change your oil every so many miles or after so many months. Petaluma people understand this very well. Severe Driving In PetalumaWhat they may not know is that there are actually two service schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. The mileage and time intervals are lower on the severe service schedule.

Now when you hear “severe service”, you may think it doesn’t apply to you because you don’t feel your driving conditions are severe or extreme – it’s just normal everyday driving around Petaluma. At Dave’s Auto Repair, we discuss the conditions that manufacturers classify as severe so that you can make the judgment on your own driving.

  • Most trips are less than four miles
  • Most trips are less than ten miles and outside temperatures are below freezing in Petaluma
  • You drive in very hot California weather
  • Driving at low speed most of the time (under 55 mph)
  • Stop and go driving
  • Operating your vehicle in dusty, polluted or muddy conditions
  • You tow a trailer, regularly carry heavy loads or carry a car-top carrier on your Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Subaru

Most Petaluma drivers operate under severe driving conditions at least some of the time. How do you know which schedule to follow for your Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Subaru?

Carefully think about your driving conditions and decide if you should do your preventive maintenance closer to the severe service recommendation or the regular recommendation. Of course, your Dave’s Auto Repair advisor can help you with your decision.

At Dave’s Auto Repair in Petaluma California (94952) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707.763.8365. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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January 27, 2012

Petaluma Tire Tread Depth – Washington vs. Lincoln

Filed under: Tires — davesaut779 @ 9:14 pm

Today’s Dave’s Auto Repair article discusses the effect of tire tread depth on braking. When talking about stopping power, Petaluma drivers tend to focus on brakes. But our tires are where the rubber meets the road. So having good brakes isn’t enough. Petaluma motorists have to have tires with enough traction to translate braking power into stopping power.

Let’s focus on stopping in wet Petaluma conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can’t move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water.

Petaluma Tire Tread Depth - Washington vs. LincolnThat’s called hydroplaning. At Dave’s Auto Repair we want our customers to know that if it’s really bad, you can actually spin out of control. At best, you won’t stop as fast.

So how does a tire move water? It has channels for water to flow through. Look at a tire and you’ll see channels: channels that run around the tire and channels that flow across the tire. They’re designed to direct water away from the tire so it can contact the road better.

And the deeper the channel, the more water it can move. A brand new tire has very deep channels and can easily move a lot of water. As the tire wears down, the channels become shallower and can move less water. When it wears down enough, it can seriously affect your ability to stop on wet Petaluma roads.

So that’s why it’s so important for Petaluma drivers to replace the tires on their Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Subarus when they get worn. Consumer Reports and other advocate groups call for a standard of 3/32 of an inch and they have the studies to prove it.

By comparison, you’ve probably seen the wear indicator that’s molded into tires. When tires are worn 3/32 of an inch, the tread wear bar is visible. So the recommended standard has twice the tread depth as a completely worn out tire.

And that little bit of additional tread makes a big difference. Stopping distances are cut dramatically on wet roads. A safe stop from California freeway speeds with 4/32 of an inch of tread would result in a crash with worn out tires.

There’s an easy way to tell when a tire’s worn to 4/32 of an inch. Just insert a quarter into the tread. Put it in upside down. If the tread doesn’t cover George Washington’s hairline, it’s time to replace your tires. With a Canadian quarter, the tread should cover the numbers in the year stamp.

You’ve probably heard of this technique using a penny and Abe Lincoln’s head. That measure gives you 2/32 of an inch – half the suggested amount.

Of course, tires are a big ticket item for Petaluma car owners. Most of us want to get as many miles out of them as we can. But there’s a real safety trade-off. It’s your choice.

At Dave’s Auto Repair in Petaluma California (94952) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707.763.8365. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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January 20, 2012

Schedule A Suspension Inspection At Dave’s Auto Repair

Filed under: Suspension — davesaut779 @ 9:42 pm

Today’s Penngrove car care article focuses on your suspension system. After many years and tens of thousands of miles, your Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Subaru suspension system components do wear out, but how long that takes depends a lot on how you drive. As you can imagine, if most of your driving is on smooth Penngrove highways, your shock absorbers will last a lot longer than if you do most of your driving on bumpy roads or hauling heavy loads.

Schedule A Suspension Inspection At Dave's Auto RepairIn addition to just wearing out, Dave’s Auto Repair customers need to know that suspension components can be damaged in an accident or by a hard impact – like a pothole, hitting a curb or a rock in the road.

Because the life span of shocks can vary so widely, your Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Subaru manufacturer and Dave’s Auto Repair recommend periodic inspections. During an inspection, your Penngrove service technician will check for worn, broken or missing parts.

Signs that shocks or struts are wearing out: The tires may have a cupped wear pattern. This is from the shocks bouncing unevenly as you drive around Penngrove. You may notice a floaty or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Subaru dives excessively when stopping, or rocks back and forth after you stopped, your shocks may be worn out. And if they are leaking fluid, it’s definitely time to replace them.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, come into Dave’s Auto Repair for a suspension inspection. Same if you’ve been in an accident that involved one of your wheels. Worn or broken shocks can cause premature wear or failure on other Toyota, Honda, GM, Ford, Chevy, Mazda, Subaru suspension parts such as ball joints and other steering components as well. If your suspension actually fails, it could lead to a serious accident, so let us take care of your suspension components at Dave’s Auto Repair.

When you replace your shocks, it’s usually a good idea to replace all four at the same time. That’ll give you more even handling. Talk with your service advisor at Dave’s Auto Repair because you don’t want a big difference between the performance of your shocks from wheel to wheel, and replacing all may be the safest bet.

At Dave’s Auto Repair in Petaluma California (94952) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 707.763.8365. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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