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Monthly Archives: April 2012

Stay Headed in the Right Direction, Colorado Springs

Power steering is standard on nearly every vehicle in Colorado Springs, Colorado, these days. Now there are some exotic, new types of power steering systems, but for the most part, the general setup is a pump that's driven by a belt powered by the engine. Contact the automotive professionals at Lighthouse Automotive in Colorado Springs for questions about your power steering. The pump generates power that assists drivers as they steer their vehicle around Colorado Springs, Colorado. Power steering systems use hoses to move pressurized fluid back and forth. These hoses can develop leaks so it's a good idea to have Lighthouse Automotive inspect them at every oil change. A check of the power steering fluid level is on the list for every full service oil change at Lighthouse Automotive because low fluid can damage the power steering pump. And the fluid needs to be compatible with the hoses and seals, so it's important to use the correct ty ... read more

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Steering

All About Your TPMS in Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs drivers know that underinflated tires wear out more quickly. Underinflation is also a major cause of tire failure for Colorado auto owners. More flats, blow outs, skids and longer stopping distances are all results of underinflated tires.It's hard for many Colorado Springs drivers to tell when a radial tire is underinflated. If your owner’s manual recommends 35 pounds of pressure, your tire is considered significantly under-inflated at 26 pounds. The tire may not look low until it gets below 20 pounds.Uncle Sam to the rescue! A recent U.S. federal law required vehicle manufacturer’s to include a Tire Pressure Monitoring System - or TPMS system - in all vehicles. Many Canadian vehicles have them as well.  The system is a dashboard mounted warning light that goes off if one or more of the tires falls 25% below its pressure recommendations.Obviously, all of this doesn't come free for Colorado ... read more

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Tires and Wheels

Tire Tread Depth for Colorado Springs, Colorado Drivers

Driving on bald tires is like playing roulette. Though you may be fine today, eventually your luck is going to run out.The Feds don't have any laws for tread depth, but 42 of the states, and all of Canada, do have regulations. They consider 2/32 of an inch to be the minimum legal tread depth. Two other states, including California, consider 1/32 to be the minimum and six states have no standards at all. Call us at Lighthouse Automotive; (just call 719.634.0005) to find out what your requirements are in the Colorado Springs, Colorado, area.Since 1968, U.S. law has required that a raised bar be molded across all tires. When tires are worn enough that this bar becomes visible, there's just 2/32 inch/1.6 mm of tread left. But does that older standard give Colorado Springs vehicles enough safety?Consider this: Consumer Reports recommends tire replacement when tread reaches 4/32 inch/3.2 mm. And the recommendation is backed by some very compelling studies. Now before w ... read more

Categories:

Tires and Wheels

How Your Check Engine Light Works

Have you ever had an experience like this in Colorado Springs, Colorado? You drive through the one of those automatic car washes. When you get to the end, where the dryer is blowing, your Check Engine light starts flashing!You fear the worst, but within a block or two, the light stops flashing, but stays on. By the next day, the light is off.You wonder; "What was going on?" Well, it's actually a good lesson in how the Check Engine light works.Your air intake system has a sensor that measures how much air is coming through it. When you went under the high-speed dryer, all that air was blasting past the sensor. Your engine computer was saying, there shouldn't be that much air when the engine is just idling. Something's wrong. Whatever's wrong could cause some serious engine damage.Warning, warning! It flashes the Check Engine light to alert you to take immediate action.It stopped flashing because once you were out from under the dryer, the airflow returned to normal ... read more

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Dashboard
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