As summer comes to a close, it's important to not forget about your car, which took you to all that summer fun. Here are some end of summer car care tips to help your car stay up to snuff as you enjoy the end of the season.

1: Check your tires! Not only does each car and tire have a specified pressure for how much air to keep in the tires, but check for wear too. Everyone drives more in the summer as we all get outside and enjoy the nice weather. That means more ware on your tires and vehicle. If your tread looks like it's disappearing, or worn out unevenly give us call. Also, remember to regularly check your tire pressure to make sure you have the right amount. Having the right amount of air in your tires is critical to maintaining proper stability and fuel economy on the road. You will gain or loose one pound of pressure per 10 degrees.

2: Check your battery! The summer heat can make the fluid in your battery evaporate faster. This can cause corrosion and effect your battery's ability to hold a charge. If you think your battery needs to be serviced, give us a call. We'll help you extend your battery life by checking the fluid levels, making sure there are no cracks, and cleaning the connections so they are rust, corrosion and oxidation free.

3: Wash your car! This is probably the one that most people don't do, but should. Summer is hot and that means your car has to work harder to stay cool. If you have mud caked on the underside of your vehicle, or even worse it gets up into the underside of your car that can cause it to run hotter. The crud from the road and all the things you pick up driving around from being out and about aren't good for your vehicle either. That's doubly true for bird poop, which is acidic and will eat into the paint if you leave it. So break out the suds and give your ride a wash. If you don't want to do it yourself, head to the nearest car wash and let their professionals handle it. Your car will thank you!

4: Have your radiator checked. The radiator is responsible for keeping your car running at a constant temperature. Any cracks or leaks here will cause you to loose valuable fluid necessary to keep your car from overheating. If the engine or transmission overheat, it can result in severe damage to your vehicle and an expensive repair bill. Your cooling system and radiator levels should be checked at the end of the summer season when hot temperatures could have caused coolant to evaporate.

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.