Posted on 31 July 2015
Since driving requirements and lifestyles differ among Colorado Springs drivers, your vehicle manufacturer publishes two auto maintenance schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. Which schedule should Colorado Springs drivers follow? Here are some questions to ask yourself:Are most of your trips less than four miles/six kilometers around Colorado Springs?Are most of your trips less than 10 miles/16 kilometers in below-zero Colorado temps?Are most of your trips off-highway in Colorado?Do you drive often in dusty Colorado Springs areas?Do you regularly tow a trailer or carry heavy loads around Colorado Springs?Do you drive in very hot or very cold Colorado weather?Think about your typical week. Do you live by your nearest Colorado Springs on-ramp and enjoy a non-stop commute? Or, do you drive the neighborhood car pool in stop-and-go traffic on Colorado Springs surface streets? Let's suppose your owner's manual says the severe service oil ... read more
Posted on 29 July 2015
Ever heard the sad tale of a staggeringly steep repair bill from a broken timing belt? Bad news. Let's take a lesson from their woes and remember to think about our timing belt.First, let's review what a timing belt does. The top part of the engine over the cylinders is called the cylinder head. The head contains the valves. There's at least one valve that lets the fresh air into the cylinder. This air, mixed with fuel, burns to create power. Then another valve or two will open to allow the exhaust out of the engine. Each cylinder has 2 to 4 valves - that's 12 to 24 valves for a V-6, up to 32 values on a V-8. The opening and closing of the valves is done by a camshaft. The timing belt uses the rotation of the engine to drive the camshaft which opens and close the valves. It's called a timing belt because it has to be adjusted to rotate the camshaft to keep proper time with the engine so that everything's in sync.The timing belt is a toothed rubber belt. But some vehicles use ... read more
Posted on 16 July 2015
When your experienced Lighthouse Automotive technician changes your oil, he will also inspect your air filter. You shouldn't need a new air filter at every oil change, but you will need to change it regularly. Heed your technician's auto advice if they tell you to change your air filter.An air filter does what its name implies: it filters stuff out of the air. Air is drawn into your engine through the filter because your engine needs air to burn fuel. If the filter weren't there, a lot of dust and debris would come into the vehicle engine with the air when you are driving around Colorado Springs. That dust and debris would get hot, burn and produce all kinds of ash and gumminess that would eventually clog up your engine. Drop in an air filter and voilá! Problem solved. But air filters themselves get clogged up with all the junk they clean out of the Colorado Springs air. This doesn't allow the junk into the vehicle en ... read more
Posted on 09 July 2015
When it comes to preventive maintenance on our vehicles, most of us Colorado Springs drivers remember to get our oil changed. But services that occur at longer intervals — like transmission service — sometimes get overlooked. Yet transmission service is part of car care. A poorly maintained transmission will fail and lead to repairs.The transmission transfers power from the engine to the drive wheels. When it's clean and well-lubricated, it gives maximum fuel efficiency. But when it gets dirty or worn down, your transmission will suffer. Your transmission relies on transmission fluid to keep everything running well.This is why the transmission fluid must be changed periodically. Your owner's manual will give you a recommended time schedule for this service. Or, you can ask your friendly and knowledgeable Lighthouse Automotive service advisor. Generally, the interval is around 35,000 miles (55,000 km) or every two years. But the interval for your ... read more
Posted on 02 July 2015
A recent report stated that over 80 percent of the vehicles on our Colorado Springs, Colorado, roads have one or more service or repair that's needed but hasn't been taken care of. Now that's a lot of undone service. That translates into something over 160 million vehicles in North America alone. Some of the neglected items are minor. Others are serious safety concerns.There are several reasons we hesitate to take care of recommended services, especially services that our Colorado Springs automotive advisor recommends when we're in for something else, like an oil change.The first issue boils down to comfort with car care. We don't always feel we know enough to make good decisions. Some of that can be attributed to the fact that vehicles are so reliable these days. They almost become an appliance. Of course you love your vehicle, but if you don't have to worry about it breaking down all the time, you're not forced to think as much about pre ... read more