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Keeping Your Engine Cool in Colorado Springs, Colorado

The cooling system keeps Colorado vehicle's engines from overheating while they are driving around Colorado Springs. Its job is to move heat away from the engine. Let's talk about the various components of the system and how they make this happen.The radiator is the part most Colorado Springs drivers associate with the cooling system. Coolant flows through the radiator which has fine cooling fins that draw the heat out of the coolant and dissipate it into the air. To make sure there's enough airflow over the radiator, a fan pulls air over the cooling fins even when the vehicle is idling.In some vehicles, the fan is powered by the serpentine belt. On others, an electric motor runs the fan. Electric fans turn on and off as needed. You may have heard the fan kick on shortly after you turn your vehicle off. The sensor has determined that the engine needs a little help cooling down to a safe temperature.A hose connects the radiator to the water pump ... read more

Categories:

Cooling System

Coolant/Antifreeze Service in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado Springs auto owners may know that most automotive failures in Colorado Springs, Colorado, are tire related, but do you know the second most common cause of vehicle failure? Nope, it's not teenagers. It is the coolant system. But if you take good care of your vehicle coolant system, it will take good care of you.A vehicle's engine creates a lot of heat - so much heat, that if it is not properly cooled, the engine can lock up, resulting in massive damage and repair bills. But when everything is working right, your vehicle engine operates at the proper temperature and all is well. Without antifreeze in your cooling system, the water could freeze and cause vehicle engine damage. This could be very expensive, not to mention inconvenient.The right mix of water and antifreeze protects the engine against damage from freezing and overheating. Antifreeze also protects the coolant system against corrosion that could cause the system to fail. The thing to remember is this: coolant s ... read more

Categories:

Cooling System

Keeping Your 'Old Faithful' Auto Running

At Lighthouse Automotive we've had a lot of Colorado Springs customers asking how they can make their vehicles last longer. These questions are actually a reflection of a trend that's been building for several years in Colorado. The median age of personal vehicles is now over nine years. And 33 percent of all vehicles on the road have over 75,000 miles (120,000 km) on them. It looks like it's going to keep heading in that direction for a while. With high fuel prices, a lot of Colorado folks are putting off buying a new car. So let's say you're one of the average in the Colorado Springs area; you've got a nine-year-old car with 80,000 miles (130,000 km) on the odometer. What can you do to make it last another year or two?Let's start with the premise that there's no reason that a modern car can't run for 200,000 miles (320,000 km) with proper care in Colorado Springs. The engineering and manufacturing quality is there.Of course, some parts will wear out along t ... read more

Categories:

Maintenance

Emergency Items for Colorado Springs

Safe Colorado travel starts with preventive maintenance and good vehicle care at Lighthouse Automotive. But there are other things Colorado Springs residents can do to prepare for emergencies on the road. Here's some auto advice that can help you plan for emergencies, and just may save your life — or someone else's.First, Colorado Springs auto owners should consider keeping an auto emergency kit in their vehicle. The kit should contain items that will allow you to deal with common emergencies on the road.Some items you should carry in your vehicle include jumper cables (or a booster box), flares, a flashlight and some basic hand tools. Other useful items include gloves, two quarts of oil, some antifreeze, water and everything you need to change a tire. You might also consider a can of tire inflator, which is a great temporary fix for minor flats.But t ... read more

Categories:

Safety

Fuel Injection Keeps Getting Better for Colorado Springs Motorists

Colorado Springs residents know that engines burn fuel to operate. Fuel is pumped from your fuel tank to your engine where it is squirted—or injected—into your engine's cylinders. This is the function of the fuel injectors.There are two ways to inject fuel into an engine. Fuel needs air to burn, so in the first method, fuel is injected into a port and allowed to mix with airand before it is drawn into the cylinders. In the second method, fuel is injected directly into the cylinders and mixes with air after it enters the engine.Direct injection engines burn fuel more efficiently than conventional engines. Some models can deliver the power of a V8 with the economy of a V6.For example, in one family of engines, the conventional version (a V6) delivers about 250 horsepower. The direct injection version delivers over 300 horsepower and gets about the same . The turbocharged version delivers 350 horsepower.Why the big difference in power ... read more

Categories:

Fuel System

Odometer Rollback on Your Colorado Springs, Colorado Vehicle

  How do Colorado Springs drivers know if an odometer is telling the truth?Well, back in '86, Congress passed the Truth-in-Mileage Act to protect Colorado consumers against mileage fraud. It says a Colorado seller must certify the mileage reported is the actual mileage.To have your odometer checked in Colorado Springs, Colorado, stop by Lighthouse Automotive: Lighthouse Automotive2499 East Platte AveColorado Springs, Colorado 80909   If it isn't, the seller must say why; for example, maybe the odometer is past its mechanical limits. Some older odometers only go to 99,999 and then start over at 0. Or, the odometer has been tampered with, broken or replaced.If the seller tells you the mileage isn't accurate, there's not much chance of putting a good number to it. And there's the unscrupulous seller who claims the reading is true, but it isn't. What can Colorado Springs vehicle owners do?You can go to www.CarFax ... read more

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Older Vehicles

On Board Diagnostics for Colorado Springs Motorists

Some Colorado Springs vehicle owners wonder why Lighthouse Automotive and other Colorado Springs auto repair shops charge a fee for vehicle diagnostics. Receiving a diagnostic charge at Lighthouse Automotive for a tricky automotive problem shouldn't be a surprise. In the Colorado Springs area, automotive diagnostics can cover quite a range. If you hear a noise in your vehicle brakes when you slow down in rush-hour traffic on a busy Colorado road, you pull off at the next off-ramp and take a quick visual check. That is usually enough to know what needs to be done. If you're having an intermittent problem with your vehicle engine, however, a Lighthouse Automotive diagnosis may be much more involved.Much of the Colorado Springs driver's confusion comes when the problem involves the Check Engine light. The Check Engine light comes on when the engine management computer has sensed a problem. There's a common misconception among Colorado drivers that the trouble code tells the Lighthou ... read more

Fuel Filter Replacement

Hello Colorado Springs resident! You would never like to drink a glass of mud, right? Well, your vehicle feels the same way. It needs a steady supply of clean fuel in order to run well and deliver good fuel economy. The fuel filter's job is to clean dirt and rust out of the fuel before it gets to your engine. A clogged fuel filter can actually choke off the engine so that it won't start or run. Some fuel filters have a bypass valve that allows fuel to go around the clogged filter so your vehicle will still run. But, then the contaminated fuel can clog your fuel injectors and allow particles into your engine.A vehicle with a partially clogged fuel filter might run well around Colorado Springs, but sputter and strain on the because it's starving for gas. There are two things that affect how often you need to replace the filter. They are: where you drive in Colorado and the gas you buy. If you drive a lot on dirt or gravel roads ... read more

Categories:

Fuel System

Why Wheel Balancing and Tire Rotation Save You Money on Tires

Colorado Springs drivers want their tires to last as long as possible. Two ways to extend tire life are wheel balancing and tire rotation.When wheels are out of balance, they wobble and vibrate. That makes the tires wear in a cupping pattern. If a front wheel is out of balance you'll feel it in the steering wheel. If it's a rear wheel you'll feel it through your seat. To fix this, your technician at Lighthouse Automotive puts weights on your wheels to balance them out.That brings us to tire rotation. The front tires on a vehicle wear out faster than the rear tires. As they push through turns, the shoulders of the front tires wear down. So rotating front and rear tires allows them to all wear at about the same rate over the life of the tire.Proper tire inflation will also help Colorado Springs folks' tires last longer. Underinflated tires wear more on the shoulder and may even overheat. This could cause tire damage or a blow out. Overinflated tires wear too fast in the ... read more

Categories:

Tires and Wheels

Custom Wheels and Tires for Your Colorado Springs Ride

  It seems like everywhere you go in the Colorado Springs area you see custom wheels. Big trucks, little cars, mini-vans - it doesn't matter - are expressing themselves with custom wheels. Some Colorado auto owners want smaller tires and wheels - some want larger - and some want them enormous. So where do you start if you want new wheels? At Lighthouse Automotive, we suggest you start with your budget. We know, that sounds so practical. But if the look you're after goes beyond just new tires and wheels and enters into the world of suspension modifications, you need to be prepared for the additional cost.Let's start with something easy - you want to give your ride a unique look and the stock wheel size is just right for you. One of the concerns you will have is that the new wheels have the same offset as your vehicle factory wheels.Your tire and wheel professional at Lighthouse Automotive in Colorado Springs can help you find the right size wheel or install adapters to ma ... read more

Categories:

Tires and Wheels
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