The leaves are falling. Here in Rochester that means it won't be long before the snow comes calling. As you get ready to hunker down for winter, don't forget to get your car ready too. Here's a few things you can do before the snow falls to make sure that when winter arrives you're ready.
 
1: Check your fluids! This is one of the most critical and most overlooked car care routines. The various fluids in your vehicle lubricate, cool, and perform other vital functions to keep it running and driving. We recommend taking a few minutes to check under the hood and make sure your fluid levels are where they need to be. This goes double for the oil, coolant and brake fluid.
 
2: Check your tires! Your cars tires are super important and shouldn't be overlooked. They affect your braking ability, handling and overall vehicle safety. Use a gauge to check your tread depth of the outer, center, and inner tread of the tire. If any of these read 4/32", we recommend replacing the tire. A reading of 2/32" or less indicates a safety hazard and the tire should be replaced immediately. Also, check your tires air pressure. You can find out how much air should be in your cars tires by looking in your vehicles manual. It's important to have the right amount of air in your tires. As too much air can mean a blowout and too little will make your tires wear out faster. For our fellow Rochesterians, we recommend investing in a quality set of snow tires to help you navigate the winter roads.
 
3: Check your lights! Soon we'll all be driving to work in the dark and coming home in the dark. It's important to see and be seen. We recommend getting a friend or spouse to help you check the exterior vehicle lights and make sure they're all working as they should. The interior lights you should be able to check yourself. Replace any bulbs that aren't working. If you need instructions on how to do so, just check your vehicles manual. If it's something you can't do yourself, or just don't feel comfortable, give us a call. We'll be happy to help you!
 
4: Check your wiper blades! Fall means rain, leaves, and sometimes snow. It's important to make sure your wiper blades are in good shape to keep your windshield clear. If your wipers are streaking or broken, replace them. Consider checking your washer fluid as well when checking your wipers. It's important to have so you can wipe the road salt away. Some brands make freeze resistant washer fluid for winter. Consider filling your reservoir with some when temperatures start to go below freezing.
 
5: Check your brakes! Stopping is important! Your brakes are critical! You should be checking them or having them checked twice a year to ensure they're in top shape. If you check them yourself and find 4mm of friction material left, we recommend replacing them. If you find 3mm or less left they should be replaced immediately, as that's a safety hazard. If you don't feel comfortable checking your own brakes, or don't know how, give us a call. We'll be more than happy to assist you!
 
6: Make sure your heater works! Most people don't use their heater very often in the summer. However, as it gets colder and the nice weather leaves us behind, you're going to want to stay warm while you drive. Automotive heating systems rely on hot engine coolant. So if your heater is blowing cold, it could mean you have a problem. If you have the know-how, you can diagnose it yourself, but we recommend giving us a call to let a professional handle it.
 
7: Take care of any outstanding maintenance! Check your vehicles owners manual for when the manufacturer recommends you should perform routine services. If your car is due, or overdue for service, take care of it now. Neglecting routine maintenance is the most common cause of breakdowns and big repair bills. Also, address any known problems your vehicle is having. If your car has a leak, rattle, squeal, grinding, or any other issues that you've been putting off, put them off no longer. Ignoring problems now can lead to bigger problems later. Also, you don't want to have a breakdown and get stranded in the snow. Fix it today to avoid headaches tomorrow!

Doing a post update about the effects salt and 2 dissimilar metals. Aluminum and steel are our 2 most common found metals on automobiles. Unfortunately they do not agree when put next to each other with salt added in. The bolts that were supposed to hold these truck running boards on came out due to the bolts being steel with aluminum boards. You can see in the picture below how the aluminum corroded away around the bolts. New hardware and repositioning the boards allowed us to save the boards so the customer did not have to buy new ones. This same issue also happens on other parts of a car. The most common is on exhaust heat shields, causing rattles as the shields contact the pipes.

Now that the weather has gotten cold and the salt is laid out on the roads we are seeing more corrosion issues. The most common are aluminum rims that are leaking air from the bead area. Salt corrodes the rim and causes an uneven surface eventually leading to air coming out of the rim. Most of these leaks do not go flat over night but over the course of several days. I have attached a picture of a rim leak from today. We use soapy water and let the bubbles show us where the air is escaping from.

In order to resolve this issue we dismount the tire. Clean and remove the corrosion from the rim. Next we apply a rim sealant and allow it to cure. After the sealant has cured, we mount the tire back on and computer balance it to insure no vibration. This job usually takes about 30 minutes to complete.

If you think you have a rim leak, then please give us a call to set up an appointment for us to check.

Hello Everyone, Clint Ferrel here, I wanted to take the time to wish everyone a great 2019. The shop is excited to continue on another year.

As many of you know I became a father last year. Little myles will be turning 1 soon. He does make it to the shop! Unfortunately, it is usually when he is sick; however, you may see him down here and get to meet his wonderful personality and see his dimple. He always brings joy and makes everyone's day when he is with us.

We will be making some changes here at the shop this year. Last year Paul updated the office with a new floor, counter and cabinets. I will keep everyone posted as we continue to make changes through out the year.

In case you missed it, below is the Synthetic VS Regular Oil story Channel 8 ran last night, which we were fortunate to be featured in. Changing your car's oil is it's life blood. Love your car and it'll love you back for a long time.

​www.rochesterfirst.com/video?videoId=733546611&carousel=1&index=9

Hi everyone! We just wanted to let you know that Cooper is running this sweet promotion until the end of the month. In short, you get a $100 Visa prepaid card when you purchase a qualifying set of four tires. If your wheels need some new rubber, give us a call and see how we can outfit your vehicle with a set of tires that are right for you!

Good morning to everyone,

We wanted to let everyone know Monroe is running a promotion on their shocks and struts until April 30th, 2017! This is a great rebate if you are in need of new struts and shocks.

We are pleased to announce the new Kendall Oil promotion. Kendall Oil is doing a $10 rebate on our synthetic blend oil changes and $15 rebate on full synthetic oil changes for our GT1 oils.

The GT1 synthetic blend is our standard oil that we use for our oil change, filter and lube service.

Unfortunately this promotion excludes commercial, business, groups government agencies and other organizations. This promotion is for households.

When you drive your vehicle do you feel that the ride is tired, bouncy and loud? Maybe your vehicle does not feel like it is handling like it used to when she was new?

Here at Ferrel's Garage we hear about how our customers feel that their vehicle just does not ride like it used to. Their vehicle is lacking the firm ride and handling it used to have. The handling and ride quality is even more noticeable after comparing to a ride in a newer vehicle with less then 40,000 miles on it. These comments tend to always refer to tired, weak and/or leaking struts and shocks. 

I have complied a small list of information on struts and shocks and their importance to a vehicle and ride quality. 

• Struts

Help control body and tire movement: vehicle bounce, roll and sway.

• Struts help maintain consistent handling and braking by keeping the tire firm to the road.
• Struts also help reduce uneven tire wear and premature failure of suspension joints and bushings.

I have attached a picture of a shock from a customer's vehicle that had a noise over bumps complaint. This vehicle had roughly 80,000 miles on it. After road testing the vehicle, duplicating the customer's complaint, lifting the vehicle and performing a visual inspection, we found the rear shocks leaking and able to be compressed with minimal effort. The rear shocks compressed so easily because there was not much fluid left inside.  With the customer's approval we installed new rear shocks. After installing the new rear shocks the noise was eliminated and the ride quality from the back of the vehicle was greatly  improved. 

The most comments I hear about a new vehicle is how much firmer, better handling and how it takes bumps when compared to an older car. These comments are the same that I receive after new struts and shocks are installed.  coincidence?

Although new struts and shocks can be a costly adventure, they are a wonderful investment to make in a vehicle if you plan on keeping your vehicle for many years.