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. 

Winter has finally come to Rochester. Snow, slush, salt and ice cover our roads. If you have tires that are low on tread, then you more than likely have already experienced poor traction due to the winter road conditions. Tires need to have good tread in order to gain traction by pushing away water, snow and slush.

I would like to say that although some all season tires say they are all season,  they are just not designed to handle all of winter's road conditions. I say this because we have replaced several almost brand new sets of tires because customers could not get around town and up their driveway with good traction,  confidence and peace of mind.

A tire that is an "all-season plus" traditionally has the mountain and snow flake symbol which designates that the tire is designed to handle winter conditions. I have attached a picture of the symbol. 

If your slipping, sliding and want your tires checked, then stop by the garage.  We would be happy to check your tires for you.

Hello everyone,  writing  this post because I feel the need to show the effects of corrosion from dissimilar metals.  At the shop here we are finding many corrosion issues causing vehicle failures.  This issue is going to become allot more common as vehicles are being made from lighter metals such as aluminum followed by components of different metals that are attached. Attached here is a picture of a fuel pump driver module that has failed from corrosion.  The module failed because of corrosion due to salt and aluminum mounted to a steel frame.  Unfortunately many vehicles are being produced this way.  

We burn waste oil.  If you have old oil from changing your lawn mower, car,  tractor, snowmobile, then bring it down and help keep us warm.  We won't charge you for taking your old oil. 

Hello everyone,  it is bitterly cold outside in Rochester. This week again is supposed to be single digits and negative digits.

I decided to do a quick post on wiper blades. Regular all season wiper blades are just not holding up to the cold, ice and snow.  All season wiper blades have openings between the blade and arm that collects snow and ice. If they are not pulled off and cleaned before being used, then they break and tare. The attached photo is just an example of what I have been seeing multiple times a day.

I also attached a picture of a winter wiper blade since they have a heavy duty rubber sleeve that covers the whole arm to help keep them from breaking. They tend not to break from pushing the snow.

Remember to clean your windshield, pull those blades up and clean them before use!

Clint Ferrel

Hello on a cold, temperature dropping and snowy day. 

Here at Ferrel's Garage we have been having an increased amount of phone calls about vehicles not starting, turning over slowly and just plain turn the key and nothing but the sound of a quick click. All symptoms of a weak or dead battery.

You maybe asking, so why does a battery fail in such cold weather?  The answer is that the chemical process inside the battery to get the electrical current going is reduced and causes a slower reaction. The capability of a battery is reduced over time as the chemicals inside breakdown.  Therefore an older and weaker battery will have less capability and less current produced in cold temperatures, which can not be enough to start the engine of the vehicle. A new battery will be able to have more current and amps, allowing the engine to start.

I would like to take this time to also stress the importance of a good battery in newer vehicles. The conception that the alternator charges  the battery and powers the car is not true anymore.  The sole purpose of the alternator is to maintain the battery. The battery of a vehicle is the electrical heart of the car. It powers and maintains all the fun electrical gadgets, options, body control modules and engine computers of the car. So when the heart gets weak,  the alternator works overtime and becomes stressed out.  Eventually it becomes so stressed out from being over worked it quits. (This may sound familiar to you if you think of your own personal job.) You can help prevent replacing an alternator by replacing the battery once it has become weak and/or old. 

If you have questions about your battery or batteries in general, then please give us a call at 585-454-5649.

- Clint Ferrel