Wholesale Auto Parts and Auto Repairs

The hot summers are tough on our autos. For example during periods of hot weather, our cooling system has to work harder to keep the engine from overheating. The following suggestions help our autos run more efficient and prevent costly breakdowns. First and foremost protect the engine and the transmission.

How to protect your engine? First and foremost change your engine oil especially if you live in a cold area during the winter months. I recommend increase the oil viscosity at least for summer driving. I live in Rutherfordton, North Carolina we have one to four snows a winter. I use the higher viscosity oil in my autos year round. I have always used the higher viscosity oil. My vehicles are high mileage several of my vehicles, Ford Ranger, and a Lincoln LS are way over two hundred thousand miles. Knock on wood, they have not had to have any engine work done, just maintenance.

What is oil viscosity? Viscosity is simply the oil’s resistance to flow at a given temperature, usually we refers to viscosity as the thickness of the oil. Oils have different levels of viscosity. The lower the viscosity rating or weight, the oil is thinner. The higher the viscosity rating, the oil is thicker. Some oils are also multi-viscous, which means the oil's thickness can change depending on its temperature. Multi-grade oils offer better engine protection than straight weight oils by preventing the oil from becoming too thick when cold, while maintaining a heavier oil weight when hot.The straight weight oils, like a straight 30 weight oil. This means the oil is 30 weight oil at any given temperature. The oil still thins out with heat, and thickens up as it cools, but at any given temperature it will measure within the specs for a 30 weight oil at that temperature. Thus as the engine temperature rises, the oil will become thinner. Thus the summer heat can make the oil thin.

This is where the problem arises when oil is too thin, the engine might not get the proper lubrication. An engine without proper lubrication will result in serious damage to the engine. For summer driving, I suggest one change their vehicle's engine oil to one that has a higher viscosity. Now I realize the subject of higher viscosity oil is a touchy one. The use of a higher viscosity oil will result in a small drop in gas mileage. My opinion formed from years of observing engines which use a higher viscosity oil last longer. My brother has owned a garage for twenty-four years. I own and run a salvage yard (junk yard) also known as a recycling yard.

How do you know which type of oil to use in your auto? Your vehicle's owner's manual will list the manufacturer's oil recommendations. Many late-model autos recommend oil grades of 0W-40, 5W-20, 5W-30. The owner's manual should tell you what grade of oil to use in different climates, and temperatures,

We need to discuss synthetic oils. As a usual rule, conventional oils lack the synthetic oils performance in the areas of low-temperature performance and high-temperature oxidation stability. The synthetic oils do offer more protection. I like the synthetic oils. The synthetics seem to offer more protection for our engines. I recommend you follow your owner’s manual.

Our transmissions are often overlooked. It is important to service your transmission. I recommend changing the fluid and filter the old fashion way. Service according to your owner manual, hard winter driving is hard on a transmission. The summer heat is tough on your transmission. Many transmission problems come from overheating. We often overheat our transmissions when we tow heavy objects. There are other ways to overheat a transmission continuous stop and go traffic in hot weather. The winter driving in snow can overheat the tyranny especially rocking the vehicle from the snow when one gets stuck. The transmission fluid burns, at higher temperatures causing it to losing its lubricating quality. The fluid becomes oxidized leaving deposits all over inside the transmission. Exposed to the heat inside the transmission the rubber seals and gaskets become hardened causing leaks. Not changing the fluid, too little fluid, using wrong type of fluid, all this, sooner or later, will results in transmission failure.

The Coolant or antifreeze mixture is essential to keeping your engine protected. It is reccomended the mixture of coolant and water inside your radiator be a 50:50 mixture of antifreeze and water. This is important to protect your engine. During freezing winter weather too little antifreeze can put your engine and the components of the coolant system in danger of freezing and cracking. The hot summer heat can cause an auto with low coolant to overheat. Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. When you combine the water with an equal amount of antifreeze, the new mixture boils at a higher temperature. The coolant also adds some protection to hoses and prevents some rust and corrosion. The coolant system needs flushed every 3 years. This can vary due to driving conditions.

The belts and hoses are also essential to using the engine. The belts and hoses during the winter months are subject to hot and cold temperature fluctuation. The summer heat is also hard on belts and hoses. Be sure to have the belts and hoses checked in the spring of the year. I recommended having them checked again before leaving on a summer vacation if you are driving. If they break, you will be strand.

The battery is next on our list. The winter is tough on your battery. I recommend a high cold cranking amps battery. The ratings for battery's are by CCA, cold cranking amps. This term defines a battery's ability to start an engine in cold temperatures. The rating is the number of amps a new, fully charged battery can deliver at 0° Farenheit for 30 seconds, while maintaining a voltage of at least 7.2 volts, for a 12 volt battery. The reason I suggest a high CCA rating, is because higher the CCA rating greater is the starting power of the battery.

The hot summer is also hard on a battery. The hot summer heat plus the heat of the engine creates high temperatures under the hood. This extreme heat speeds up the breaks down and corrorsion of the battery components. The extreme heat reduces the batterys life. This is an important fact to remember. A battery in cold weather may show  some signs of weakness, but in hot weather you usually do not have any warning that your battery is about to fail.   The following can help prevent you from being stranded on the side of the road. All batteries more than three years old need testing, and there is a higher rate of failing with older batteries. This is a good time to clean the posts and connections. They must be corrosion free. I recommend that you always carry jumper cables. The red is always put on the positive post (+) and the black cable is always put on the negative (-).

This is a good time to check all fluids, brake fluid, power steering, wiper fluid, oil, and transmission. Let's not forget rear-end's and other parts that need checked for gear oil. See your owner manual for types and level of fluids in each system. I feel like I need to interject here. It is extremely important to fill to proper levels of fluids and use proper filters.

The next item we are going to discuss is Our winter snow tires. Snow tires are a good choice in the winter. They are a must in many areas. They are not needed in the summer. I have friends that live in areas that have many snows during the winter months. They have found it helpful to have two sets of wheels one mounted with snow tires and one with touring or all-season tires. This seems like a good ideal. If you do not have two sets it is time to go tire shopping, do save your snow tires for next winter.

The average driver buys a touring tire. Touring tires are quieter than winter or all-season tires. The touring tires have better directional stability which equals a shorter stopping distances. They get better gas mileage because they have a lower rolling resistance. The touring tires usually offer a quieter, smoother ride.

Sports cars drivers usually prefer a performance tire in the summer. The performance tires deliver the best grip to the road. The plus of performance tires is a better lateral grip used in fast cornering. They also offer a faster response to steering, because of their higher speed rating which comes in handy with sports cars. The performance tires do not always offer the smoothest ride since they are lower in profile than a touring tire. You feel every bump in the road. The performance tires cost more than touring tires and have a shorter life expectancy because of the softer rubber. You will see more performance tires on sport cars. We use them on our Corvette.

Now we have changed our snow tires we need to concentrate on tire pressure. It is vital to have properly inflated tires. Read your owner's manual if available, check driver’s door, or glove box to find the correct tire pressures. The tire pressure specifications are for when the tires are cold. Therefore be sure to check the pressure when the tires are cold. This means before driving the auto. Improper air pressure may lead to an accident. There are other reasons the correct tire pressure is important. It provides the ideal contact between the road and your tires. This helps your tires wear properly which extends the life of the tires greatly. Proper inflation also improves your fuel mileage. Your summer tire pressure may need  adjusting to compensate for hotter operating conditions. Do remember to check your spare tire’s pressure bi-monthly especially before trips.

We need to see when driving thus wipers and wiper fluid are the next are to check out.The wiper blades need changing once a year. The reason is the blades can dry out; when this happens they need replacing. The wipers can start separating the rubber can separate from the wiper. This can scratch your windshield. Now that we have change the wiper blades, lets check and fill the wiper fluid. This is especially needed for the summer with the increase in bugs, pollen, and dust.

Not that our wipers are new and we have fluid lets clean the Windshield. I recommend clean windshield, grille, hood, headlights, and bumper at least weekly. Bugs flying into our auto can damage the paint. The headlights on our autos need cleaning and polishing for summer driving. At this time, check to see if all you lights are functioning properly.

We are ready for summer driving. I do recommend an emergency kit for the trunk. If you are in an accident, or your auto stalls the emergency kit will come in handy.  I recommend the following items. I keep them in my trunk.  A well stocked First-Aid kit,  A Flashlight, Extra Batteries, Triangle Reflector Kit, Working Gloves, a Change of Clothes, including Walking Shoes, Dried Fruit, Nuts, or other Non Perishable Food, Bottle Water, Sport Drink, chemical ice packs, Hand Sanitizer, Paper Towels, a Clean Towel, Jumper Cables, A Gallon of Antifreeze, Duct Tape, Wire, Electrical Tape, Tire Plugs, Green Slime Sealant for Tires, and A few Hand Tools. These items can come in hand if you are on the side of the road waiting for help to arrive.

In conclusion, the repairs and maintenance discussed will help prevent a costly break down. The  maintenance if done properly should extend the life of your auto. Changing oil, transmission fluid, checking belts and hoes, and checking coolant are the first step to make sure your auto will last many years to come.