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Car & Truck Tips For Buying, Selling, Service And Quick Fixes
Welcome to Car & Truck Tips! Browse our site and you will find quality information about sales and service related to cars, trucks, vans, suvs, and all other new and used vehicles. Our car and truck tips are brought to you by people who have spent their entire careers in the automotive industry selling, buying and servicing cars at the dealership level. Our primary goal is to provide you, the consumer, with quality and sound advisement concerning your car and truck buying, selling and servicing. Whether it is a routine tune up or buying a used car or truck online, the advice and tips on this website will help you to make wise and informed decisions and feel confident negotiating a deal on and offline with car dealers and negotiating service contracts with dealer service departments or your local mechanic. |
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 Fix Alternator: How To Test & Replace Your Car's Alternator
If the alternator on your automobile fails, the battery can not hold a state of charge; this results in a vehicle that will not start. Your alternator is driven by the mechanical force of the engine. The alternator converts that mechanical power into electrical power and puts it into the battery for storage. Most often when an alternator fails, there will be a warning light on the dash that will come on to alert you of the failure. However, in some cases the alternator output has decreased to a point where the battery won't charge but the warning light is not illuminated. If you find that you have to
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Parts Replacement: The Water Pump
I heard the growling noise coming from the engine of my son’s car as he pulled into the driveway. I thought to myself, that is not a good sound. He moved his mother’s car from the garage making room to get his in to determine the cause to the horrific noise. I met him in the garage ready to assist should he ask. At the least I knew he would be into my tool box. After lifting the hood and restarting the engine he located the source of the noise, the water pump. The water pumps purpose on your car or truck is to
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Pothole Damage: Tips For Colder Climates
If you live in a cold climate like Maine, you know about the battles we fight against the dreaded pothole. Well, pothole season is here with vengeance this year. Potholes are created when the temperatures rise above freezing and the snow and ice melts. When the melting occurs, the water seeps through the cracks in the pavement and when the temperatures return to freezing the water turns to ice. The ice expands forcing the asphalt to rise. As traffic drives over the rises the pothole is created. Potholes are an enemy of your car or truck. They show up
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Buying Tips: Sail Away From The Sale
My mailbox has been stuffed with sales flyers from the auto dealers in my area. I have been offered free gas for a year, payments as low at $59.00 per month, and a chance to win $7500.00 if I buy a new or used car or truck in the next 5 days. According to the sales flyers, this is a Presidents Day Sale, a Liquidation Sale, or some other call to action campaign to get me to respond immediately. As I am bored this time of year I thought it would be fun to visit one of the dealerships and see what I might be missing. So with flyer in hand I strolled into the showroom and
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Remote Travel Safety: What You Need To Go Remote
A friend asked me for some advice on what equipment he should have should he decide to seek out some of Maine’s more remote trout streams and ponds. My first question was how remote are you talking about? His fishing expeditions generally take him onto unpaved logging roads that he may travel for many miles. In years past, before the logging operations made easy access these roads were nothing short of paths through the forest. In those times if you did not have a 4x4 vehicle you were not getting there. Today’s remote fishing spots are often accessible by
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Timing Belts: The Toothed Link In Your Engine
The Timing Belt is the toothed link between the engines crankshaft and the engines camshaft. These two components must be synchronized if your engine is to work properly. Because timing belts are not easily inspectable, manufacturers recommend replacement at intervals that range from 60000 mile to 105000 miles. By replacing the timing belt at the recommended interval, you lower the risk that the belt may break rendering your engine inoperable. Some engines are referred to as interference engines. If a timing belt breaks
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Cooling Systems: Don't Lose Your Cool!
The number one cause of vehicle failure on the highway is cooling system failure.
Overheating is caused by either restricted air flow through the radiator or a lack of
circulation of coolant through the system. Automobile engines without proper cooling
generate enough heat to destroy themselves. Even running a few miles with an overheating
engine is risking doing damage that will cost in the thousands to repair. The best way to
prevent over heating from occuring is by maintaining your cooling system. The average
mileage recommendation for replacing coolant/antifreeze is 30000-40000 miles. There are
coolants that require less service. Old antifreeze will corrode the radiatior, water pump
and other vital engine components. The corriosn will cause blockage of the cooling system
leading to over heating. The hoses that transfere the coolant through the system need
to be inspected on a regular basis. Heat, vibration, cold, and age will deterioate the
rubber hoses. If hoses are cracked or show signs of wear have them replaced. I recommend
you replace any hose that is over 3 years old. The drive belt that turns the waterpump
that circulates your
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Oil Change Tips: Better Safe Than Sorry! Choose The Right Oil!
In the old day everyone recommended oil changes every 3000 miles. That recommendation was
built around the technology and quality of the oil and the engines of that era. As with
most everything else, technology has improved products. With todays products I think
5000 miles between oil changes is a safe bet. The oil change chain stores still promote
the 3000 mile interval. Then when your business is oil changes why wouldn't you? The
right engine oil for your vehicle will improve fuel economy, reduce the likely hood of
engine failure, and improves emission control systems. Your service shop or your owners
manual will tell you what oil viscocity is recommended for your vehicle. Choosing a lower
priced, lower quality oil may not provide the protection your engine needs. If your
vehicle is still in factory warranty you risk voiding the warranty by not following the
manufacturers recommendations. Oil changes are a service the do it yourselfer can handle
without technical training. If you do change your own oil make sure you
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Detailing: Tips For A Better Detail
Detailing a vehicle means different
things to different people. A wash and vacuum may be considered detailing, but for the
purpose of this article we are talking about wash wax and dressing of the entire
vehicle. Vehicle detailing can be very rewarding to the car owner. If you really like
your ride taking care of its appearence shows a sense of pride. Always start with a
vehicle that has not been sitting in the hot sun or just came in from off the highway.
You should always try to clean your vehicle in a shaded area. Start by washing from the
top down. Wash and rinse the vehicle by panels. wash the roof, rinse, wash the hood
rinse, etc. Use soap designed for washing cars. You are less likely to get water spots
with a product designed for washing cars and not dishes. When waxing the exterior, be
sure you wipe all of it off. Wax small areas at a time. For scratches use a compound. You
will find most scratches that are not through the base coat can be buffed out. When
cleaning the interior start with a thorough vacuum of seats
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