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Category Archives: Maintenance

Are Modern Vehicles Maintenance Free?

In our auto video today we'll be talking with Alan Peterson about myths surrounding automotive maintenance. You can lump these myths into the statement that "modern vehicles are so reliable, they are virtually maintenance free."Any good myth has some elements of truth. No offense to Colorado Springs Bigfoot fans, but this maintenance-free myth has more evidence than most. If we look at some isolated areas of auto maintenance, we could conclude that maintenance isn't so important. But other areas would just as easily lead you to believe that maintenance is more important than ever.Here are some examples for our friends in Colorado Springs. Some vehicles in Colorado Springs no longer require chassis lubrication. They're made with self-lubricating materials and have sealed joints. There's literally no way to grease those joints. -Chalk one up for the myth.On the other side, some vehicles come with sophisticated variable valve timing. A lot of compli ... read more

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Maintenance

Keep Your Colorado Springs Car Breathing Free: Engine Air Filter

Hey Colorado Springs - this is something really amazing: Your vehicle uses 12,000 times as much air as fuel when you drive it. All of that air has to be filtered to keep your engine clean.That's like 100 gallons (380 liters) of air every block! The engine air filter is just another example of a very important but inexpensive part that has to do a tremendous amount of work. And when it works, everything goes well. But, when it doesn't, well, it can lead to problems. Of course, your vehicle manufacturer recommends how often to change your air filter. But like most service intervals, where and how you drive your vehicle in Colorado affects when your filter needs to be changed.Dusty conditions around Colorado Springs or polluted city driving means you'll need to change your filter more often. Our trained professionals at Lighthouse Automotive can check your filter for you. In fact, it's often a routine part of an oil change.When you think about it ... read more

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Maintenance

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

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Maintenance

Lighthouse Automotive On Your Serpentine Belt

  Today we're going to be talking about serpentine belts for our Colorado Springs, Colorado, customers. Let's start by talking about the accessories that are driven by the serpentine belt. First is the alternator. That's the device that makes electricity to power the vehicle and recharge the battery. Then there's the air conditioning compressor that makes cool air for you while you're driving around Colorado in the summer.The power steering and power brake pumps are driven by the serpentine belt in most Colorado Springs residents' vehicles. Those pumps provide pressure that assists your steering and braking.In many vehicles, the water pump is driven by the serpentine belt. The water pump is what circulates the coolant that protects your engine. In some cars around Colorado Springs, Colorado, the water pump is driven by the timing belt.The radiator cooling fans on some vehicles are also driven by the serpentine belt. Some have separate electric motors. Th ... read more

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Maintenance

Maintaining Your Older Car in Colorado Springs, Colorado

The government mandates a lot of equipment on cars in Colorado Springs, Colorado: emission devices and control computers, safety equipment like airbags and crash worthiness requirements. All of this is great for the Colorado Springs motoring public, but it does add quite a bit to the price of a new vehicle.Because new vehicles are more expensive, people in the Colorado Springs area are driving their old vehicles longer. The average vehicle is now over nine years old. Two thirds of vehicles on the road in Colorado have more than 75,000 miles (120,000 km) on them. As cars age, their performance drops, they have difficulty idling for long periods and are more sensitive to weather extremes. Fortunately today's cars are up to the challenge – but they need a little help to keep on goin'.Give Lighthouse Automotive a call at 719.634.0005 to schedule your next maintenance.Some owner's manuals don't specify service requirements at higher mileage. That doesn ... read more

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Maintenance

Keeping Your Car Young in Colorado Springs

As Colorado Springs consumers, we live in a disposable society. It's amazing all the stuff we throw away.New stuff comes out so fast in Colorado, and much of it is fairly cheap, so we just toss the old and move on. It seems like when we were kids our parents were real sticklers about taking care of our stuff - especially parents who grew up in the Depression. You know, hang up your clothes, polish your shoes, put away your toys. If something got lost or ruined by neglect, tough; we had to do without.  We couldn't afford new cars very often, so we tried to make them last as long as we could. It's a good thing that cars are more reliable these days. They just don't break down as often. And the good news for us Colorado Springs penny pinchers is that a modern car can easily go 200,000 miles (320,000 km) with proper care. The engineering's there and so is the manufacturing quality. The missing ingredient is us making sure we follow the vehicle manufacturer's maintenance schedules.Is i ... read more

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Maintenance

Busting Automotive Myths in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Myths passed around our Colorado Springs, Colorado community start with a grain of evidence and are then built up with a lot of imagination and very elastic logic. And the internet is a breeding ground for automotive myths. Some bloggers recall the vehicles of yesteryear and declare their modern decedents to be virtually maintenance free and that anyone who says otherwise is out to rip you off. To get the truth about auto myths you hear around the Colorado Springs area, come over to Lighthouse Automotive. Let's examine a couple of the more popular rants and look at the truth behind them.The first one is that the chassis no longer needs lubrication for suspension, steering and the driveline. They declare that anyone who has charged you for lubrication is a charlatan.The truth on which this myth is based is that many new vehicles come from the factory with sealed joints and cannot be greased. However, there are still ... read more

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Maintenance

Maintenance for High Mileage Vehicles in Colorado Springs, Colorado

The median age for cars in the Colorado Springs, Colorado area was over nine years. And two-thirds had over 75,000 miles. At Lighthouse Automotive we hear reports that those numbers continue to rise. If you have a high-mileage vehicle in the Colorado Springs area, bring it into Lighthouse Automotive for high-mileage maintenance.2499 East Platte AveColorado Springs, Colorado 80909719.634.0005 Many people in Colorado are keeping their vehicles longer. The economy has influenced that, but the fact that modern vehicles are more durable and reliable means that owning a high mileage vehicle doesn't have to be a painful experience.Local car owners in Colorado Springs with over 100,000 miles on their vehicles often ask which service intervals they should follow. Let's start with the special needs of the older vehicle...The reality is that time and mileage will take its toll. The engine and transmission will have more sludge. The fuel, steering and brake system ... read more

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Maintenance

Busted: The Maintenance-Free Myth in Colorado Springs

Busted: The Maintenance-Free Myth in Colorado Springs

There's a segment of the Colorado Springs area population that's not committed to proper vehicle maintenance. Now, the ignition system in your vehicle is electronic and controlled by the engine management computer. Spark plugs rarely get fouled and will last for as much as 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometers). So tune-ups used to force you in to Lighthouse Automotive for service, and while you were there you just took care of whatever else was on the list.Also, in recent years, a large percentage of new vehicles in Colorado Springs have been leased. These folks plan on turning the vehicle in after two or three years, so they haven't focused on the maintenance that helps a vehicle last longer.Given all that, what's the benefit to keeping up with factory scheduled maintenance? Well, your vehicle will perform better and return better fuel economy.Those benefits pay for themselves as they go along. The big plus is that majo ... read more

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Maintenance

Lighthouse Automotive: Why Replace Your Engine Air Filter?

Lighthouse Automotive: Why Replace Your Engine Air Filter?

Just as our bodies need clean air to function properly, your vehicle engine needs clean air to operate efficiently. Let's go egghead for a minute. For every gallon of gas we burn driving on Colorado Springs streets, 20 pounds of carbon dioxide comes out the tailpipe. Question: how can a gallon of gas that weighs a little over six pounds produce 20 pounds of carbon dioxide?The answer is that the carbon comes from the gasoline, but the oxygen comes from the air. You see, it takes about 12,000 gallons of air to burn a gallon of gas in your engine. Clearly, your vehicle needs a lot of air to keep going in Colorado Springs. A lot of clean air is best. You've seen the pictures of people in Japan wearing face masks. They want some kind of filter to keep unwanted pollution and germs out of their lungs. Well, your vehicle also works better when its internals are clean. When your vehicle ... read more

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Maintenance
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