dennis.broehm's blog

Good California red wine gets better with each passing year in the bottle. But the battery in your car, not so much. Oh, by the way, how old is the battery in your car? Not sure? Never thought about it? So what, you say?

 In the heat of summer, life is so busy that we have little time to think about something as mundane as the battery in our vehicle. As long as the car starts when I turn the key, I am good and on my way. But is there a chance that one of these days when I turn the key, nothing will happen?

It always happens at the wrong time. Thankfully it doesn’t happen too often. But when your car is broken, you are suddenly in need of a repair facility. How do you know a good one from one to avoid?

Close your eyes for a moment and picture yourself cruising through 6 lanes of traffic at over 60 mph, more than 88 ft per second. Now picture looking through a windshield smeared with bugs or the spray of a hundred semi’s. Not pleasant is it? A little bit scary, right? Welcome to the importance of washer fluid.

Not the first thing you might think of when maintaining your vehicle, but it can be the difference between safe and ???. You get the point. The ability to clear the windshield is critical, and the wipers will not do it alone.

You want to get the most bang for your buck-but really, how long do tires last? It’s important to remember these tips to help you check the condition of your tires. For one, remember that tires age in the sunlight and air-so even when you’re not driving your vehicle, you’re tires are still depleting and aging due to exposure. It’s also important to recall how old your tires are. Older tires can get stiff sidewalls, which can have the potential to fail and crack if they aren’t replaced.

Wondering why it’s important to inflate your tires with nitrogen? Here are some quick scientific facts that answer that puzzling question. For one, 70% of the air we breathe is nitrogen, rather than being primarily oxygen. Similarly, we inflate tires with mostly nitrogen too (about 96%). The nitrogen molecule is actually larger than an oxygen molecule, which means that nitrogen will leak out of the tire wall at a much slower rate. Therefore, by increasing the amount of nitrogen in your tires, you will have more even inflation, better tire wear, and less air leakage in your tires.

As part of our series on answering questions about your tires, tire inflation is also a very important component to maintaining your vehicle. The first question you may ask is “how much is too much?” When it comes to tire inflation, it’s essential to know where to look. Many people believe that they can find the maximum tire pressure amount on the tire; however, this number there is not actually correct. Instead, make sure to check the label on the driver’s doorpost, which lists the exact inflation amount for maximum tire wear and safe handling. So why does tire pressure matter?

To many, the ins and outs of your vehicles tires are somewhat of a mystery. We know we have to fill them with air regularly, rotate them, and often times change them during the winter months…but what else do we really need to know? Turns out, there’s a lot more than meets the eye. Tires have a lot of needs, so knowing when they need maintenance is crucial to avoiding headaches like flat tires, bulging tires, and tires that are ultimately dangerous to drive on.

It’s common knowledge that maintaining your vehicle is essential to making sure it lasts. But when it comes down to the brass tracks, we’re interested in maintaining our vehicles and saving money. So let’s talk what essential facts you should know about maintaining your car and not breaking the bank!

Car repair estimates make you crazy? Me too! Expensive. Inconvenient. Confusing. Frustrating. Ever been tempted to just get rid of the vehicle rather than face the repair. Me too! But before you take the plunge and do something radical, take a minute to consider…

Really? This is the old line from a car repair shop trying to fool an unknowing customer into spending more money. Too often that customer was a woman. In fact 9 of 10 women have at some time felt ripped off in car repair. (Badbizusa)

Why is she a target? Perhaps they thought…

• she didn’t understand her vehicle or repair needs.
• she was easy to “bully” into a purchase.
• she would simply trust whatever they said and go along with it.