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| What do you suggest for how often my vehicle needs maintenance? I always advise that you follow your owner's manual for the make, model and year of your specific vehicle. Manufacturers guidelines are safe and fairly conservative. On the other hand, the geographical area where you drive and the driving conditions often create the need to look closely at your vehicle even more often than the owner's manual states, perhaps using the Seasonal Service Guidelines. The conditions of extreme heat, extreme cold, frequent changes in altitude, frequent stop and start driving, extremely dirty environment and a very wet and moist environment, are very hard on vehicles. Our desert environment is unique in that within an hour and a half driving time, we have all of these conditions. Here are some general guidelines that we often advise our customers to follow in our unique environment. Each time your vehicle is in our shop, we look for problems that are developing in your car and make suggestions to prevent those problems. You can help yourself to prevent large repair situations by doing periodic maintenance and paying attention to signs of problems looming. In our extreme environment, air conditioning is a way of life. Because of that, I get MANY, MANY questions about A/C problems and service. Take a look at them. |
General Service Guidelines |
| If I have my new vehicle serviced by you instead of the dealership where I bought it, will it jeopardize my warranty? No! Our certified service and preventative maintenance (not all service centers are ASE, AAA, Tech-NET Professional and CarQuest certified as we are...) meets or exceeds the standards set up by all automotive manufacturers. Our periodic service and maintenance will preserve your warranty and save you time and money. It is important to be able to document the services and maintenance that you have had done on the vehicle. Our computer system provides excellent service history if the occasion should ever require proof. We also feel that the services we provide are often superior to the detail and attention by the dealerships. We care! |
Know Your Automotive Warranty Rights! |
| For my son's birthday, he wanted some of the new large wheels and tires for our Ford Explorer SUV. I bought them and had them put on. Now our speedometer seems to be way off. Why? Getting the speedometer to indicate the correct speed of a vehicle is a fairly complicated process involving calculations of the ring gear and pinion, a gear or sending unit in the transmission that sends information to the speedometer, the size of the wheel and the size of the tire. When a combination of wheel and tire size is significantly changed, the speedometer will show what the ORIGINAL combinations would have been. Changing to larger wheels and tires indicates a slower speed than you are actually going; that can be dangerous to both you and other drivers. You might want to look at our Speedometer Calibration Calculator And Information to get an idea of the difference. Actually then getting it calibrated on the car usually entails changing the speedometer gear or sending unit. It can be pure trial and error. |
Speedometer Calibration Calculator And Information |
| How can I determine if there is a recall notice on my vehicle? We evaluate that each time your vehicle is in our shop. However, you can click on the either link to the right and by indicating your make and model of vehicle, determine any and all recalls and service bulletins published for your vehicle. The upper link is an informational database provided by AllData, one of the major suppliers of technical information to the automotive industry. General information is available from about 1960 through 1981 on most vehicles. Detailed information is available on 1982 and newer vehicles. The lower link is a database provided by the US government office of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. On the first page of this link, there are other related informational links, including a place to express a complaint. Some information goes back as far as 1978, though pre-1982 information is sketchy at best. |
Recall and service bulletins from AllData. Recall tracked by the US government. |
| My vehicle registration renewal indicates that I have to have it smog checked before I can get the renewal. Can you do that for me? To give you a straight answer, yes and no... The State Of California's Bureau Of Automotive Repair is very careful about licensing service centers to do smog certifications. There are only a few shops in the area that are certified to perform state smog check certifications. We are one of them. We are a test and repair location, as opposed to a test only location. That means we can test your vehicle and make any needed repairs if they are required (assuming that you request them) to pass the certification. If your renewal states that you must have your test done by a test only location, you must take it to a test only location. Here is some additional Smog Information about us and local requirements; there are also links to the various State of California sites there. |
California Smog Test Information |
| I have both a gas Mercedes and a diesel Mercedes. What are the differences, other than obvious car cosmetics and options? In popularity in the US, there are many more gasoline powered vehicles than diesel powered. In Europe and Asia, the numbers are closer to equal. In this country, diesel vehicles are more commercial, such as trucks and farm vehicles, though, such as yours, there are many luxury automobiles powered by diesel engines. Other than the engine itself, your vehicles are more or less the same. Entire books can be written on the subject and I have tried to answer your question with a compromise of brevity and fact. Here is what I see as the differences. Some people seem to feel that diesel vehicles cost less to maintain and to operate. I do not see significant differences in either. |
Gasoline and Diesel Engines |
| What service is the most important for my car? The preventative maintenance that is the best defense for engine problems is frequent engine oil changes; for chassis noise and wear problems, it is chassis lubrication. Both processes are inexpensive and they do more to preserve your vehicle's engine and chassis life against friction and heat, the number one and two threats to engine damage. Normally they are done at the same time. Change your oil and filter often, at least every 3,000 miles or three months. Our environment (look at the Extreme Caution Warnings) here in the desert is harsh; it is exceptionally hard on all vehicles. Read this to see how Engine Internal Lubrication take place. In my opinion, the reason more people don't change their oil at the required intervals is that they think it is expensive, may not be all that important and they fear being sold unneeded and unwanted services through intimidation. Not doing the service is what is expensive, oil changes are very important, and while many California chains and service companies are guilty of ethics violations, we don't try to sell any services when we service or inspect your vehicle. We do the work you have requested and inform you of things we see as needed in the future. There is no pressure of any kind and no intimidation; things that you may not understand are cheerfully explained at your request. It is our desire to create a long term relationship with you for the life of this vehicle and the next. While the State of California is cracking down on unscrupulous service centers in our industry and in our area, we, as a Christian business, always answer to a higher authority. We live by honesty and integrity and our customers return time and again because of it. |
How long has it been since your last oil change? |
| I have seen a lot of advertising on TV about the new Dodge Hemi 5.7 liter engine. What is a hemi engine and is it foreign made since it is measured in liters? Chrysler Corporation pioneered the design of the hemispherical head engine back in the early 50s. A hemi engine has the combustion chamber primarily in the engine's head, rather than primarily the cylinder, and the combustion chamber is hemispherical in shape, like half of a ball. The hemi design was significantly better than the flat head alternatives at the time of original introduction. Since then, many companies have designed similar efficient combustion chambers but have either chosen not to call them hemi engines, or perhaps are not allowed to by copyrights; I am not certain of the reason. This type of design is very efficient. The "height of hype" of the hemi and the time period that it was king of the road was the mid 60s in Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth vehicles, all made by the Chrysler Corporation. That is why you often see a Dodge 426 Hemi Super Bee muscle car in the ads also. The 426 CID (designated in cubic inches displacement, not as 7 liters) was the most powerful production engine made at the time; it still may be and is still currently available in some Chrysler vehicles. The liter designation does NOT mean it is a foreign engine. Many automotive companies are making at least some effort, perhaps only token, to migrate to the metric system, thus liters instead of cubic inches. By the way, that is about 348 cubic inches when converted, though Chrysler identifies it as actually 345 CID in technical information. I guess to marketing, it made more sense than saying the new Dodge Hemi 5.655 liter engine! |
Cubic Inch, Milliliter and Liter Converter |
| Can I make an appointment to have my car serviced? We are one of only a few facilities that sets appointments and keeps them! We honor you and your time. For maintenance procedures that are scheduled such as oil changes, we are quick and very efficient. Generally the wait in our comfortable customer area is short. If after evaluation of problem situations it appears that maintenance or securing parts will take some time, we can arrange for a rental car for you or assist in your transportation needs. We try to make servicing your car a tolerable experience rather than a dreaded time. Our prices are reasonable and very fair, plus our work is guaranteed. Call us at 760-328-6198 to make an appointment. |
Check YOUR calendar... |
| I saw in your Published Service Prices that in an oil change, synthetic oil is more expensive. Is it better? My first response to that is, in certain applications, certain vehicles and in extremes, yes. However, I always suggest that in most cases, and the only exception is in the event that there is a very good reason to do otherwise, follow the guidelines of your vehicle owner's manual. In generalities based on independent testing company studies, synthetic oil does do many things better than conventional petroleum based motor oil; those however seem to be mostly in the extremes. It reduces operating temperatures but also allows operating a vehicle in extreme cold where conventional oils are just gooey solids; there is about a 25% increase in the operating temperature range. It reduces friction thus reducing engine wear, is less volatile, reduces oil consumption, maintains viscosity better and removes engine deposits better than conventional oils. Is it worth the cost difference? That is up to you, though, here in the desert, we are what most people would consider an extreme when it comes to heat. Many new car manufacturers are specifying synthetic lubricants or suggesting synthetic oil as an alternative. I think if it was such a mainstream significant improvement for ALL vehicles, ALL manufacturers would specify it. Whichever oil you choose, change your oil regularly! |
Oil Change Time Calculator |
| I have been looking at getting a new car. Most have fuel injection and yet some still have a carburetor in the fuel system. Which is better? What actually is a fuel system? There really is no right answer for which is best, except on an individual basis; "what works best for how YOU are using the vehicle" should actually be the question. Since so much can be written about this, check out our Fuel System Information page. Hopefully, it will give you the details you want and enough information to make an informed decision. This is general information but if you would like specific advice on a particular vehicle, bring it to us prior to purchase. We will inspect it (if it is a used vehicle) for possible problems and inform you of them. We will be happy to help you with an opinion of the vehicle. |
Fuel System Information |
| I saw on the news that many 2 cycle engines are causing environmental problems and are being phased out by 4 cycle engines. I have a 1992 Oldsmobile. Do I have a 2 cycle engine and should I be concerned about being phased out? Automotive gasoline engines are all 4 cycle. Some motorcycles, jet skis, outboard motors, snowmobiles and the like, mostly small engines, are 2 cycle engines. The main difference is in that in a gasoline powered 2 cycle engine, you MUST add oil, the right type of oil, to the gas in a pre-determined ratio of oil and gas. You do NOT add oil to the gas in a four cycle engine. There are no moving intake or exhaust valves in 2 cycle engines and on each up stoke, the spark plug fires. In virtually all situations, 2 cycle engines burn "dirtier" and leave more environmental residue than 4 cycle engines. I don't know of any 2 cycle engines in the last couple of automotive generations that are in passenger vehicles, certainly not in Oldsmobiles, though by the Olds name, they are being phased out and no longer being made. A 4 cycle engine means that it has an intake cycle, compression cycle, power cycle and exhaust cycle. A 2 cycle engine combines the intake and compression cycles, and the power and exhaust cycles. Arguments can be made for which is more efficient in certain applications. There is no argument in automotive applications. |
Gas Oil Mixture Ratio Calculator |
| What is carbon build-up and how do I get rid of it? Carbon build-up is a major problem in today's engines with higher performance requirements. It is byproduct of fossil fuels in the form of a high concentration of carbon deposits in the fuel injection system, around and on the intake valves, in the combustion chamber in and on the oxygen sensor and in the catalytic converter. It clogs and hampers fuel delivery systems, filters, combustion components and areas, and exhaust systems. We use the MotorVac CarbonClean Service to remove that build up. It helps to clear hard starting, rough idling, hesitations and lack of power. It also helps to reduce emissions and improves fuel economy. We suggest this inexpensive preventive maintenance about every 20,000 to 25,000 miles of highway driving or 15,000 to 20,000 miles of around town driving. |
Find out more here... |
| What is a tire bead? Take a look at our page of tire definitions. You will find that and many more answers to questions about tires that you may have. We carry, sell and install MasterCraft tires. Ask us about them the next time you are in our shop. |
MasterCraft Tires |
| My husband was checking the oil in our car and found it to be a quart down. He sent me to the auto parts store to get oil. I never saw so many kinds of oil! Since I had no idea what was right for our 2001 Pontiac, I had to rely on the clerk but I don't think he knew any more than I did. How do you know what kind of oil is right? I always suggest that you should follow the guidelines of your vehicle owner's manual. You are right, however, that there are many kinds and types of oil, for many engines and purposes. To be honest, the best thing to do is ask the person that services your car what is right for that vehicle. If you need to add oil between oil changes, you might want to consider the problem involved in the oil diminishing in the engine. (Here is how Engine Internal Lubrication process works and why you might need to add oil.) I have put down the answers to your question in as non-technical a manner as I can (and you won't get greasy reading it). |
Oil Types Information |
| How can I get better gas mileage? That is a question that virtually everyone asks. There are three factors (among many) that have a significant and serious impact on your vehicle's mileage, tires, engine efficiency and driving habits. Keep the tires inflated to the manufacturer's suggested pressure. It actually takes considerably more work from the engine (hence a drain on fuel economy) to move the vehicle with under inflated tires. (Over or under inflated tires also wear faster.) Look in your vehicle owner's manual to find the proper value for inflation. Here in the US, inflation is measure in pounds per square inch (PSI). (Learn the basics of tires here and here.) It is very important to measure the tire inflation when the tire is cold. The term cold here in the desert has questionable meaning but cold in this case should suggest that you measure the tire pressure first thing in the morning before the vehicle is driven. If they are lower than the suggest pressure, add air, but do not over inflate them either. Check the tire pressure regularly, at least once a month. (While you are checking the tires, check the tread and sidewalls for wear and damage. If you need tires, we can handle that as well during your next service visit. Remember that any tire is only as good as the worst spot on it, similar to the weakest link in a chain.) Next, keep your engine tuned. This is not something that most people can do themselves, but we can do it professionally. An engine that is not running to peak performance can rob you of considerable gas mileage, as much as 50 percent. With gas prices what they are, a few tanks of gas wasted and you have paid for a tune up! Check your owner's manual for suggested intervals for engine tune up and for the proper octane rating gasoline suggested for your vehicle. You can do early problem detection yourself, just as you would with your own health. Finally, driving habits can save money on gas. A lead foot costs plenty. Gradual acceleration and deceleration will save money on both gas and brake wear. Moderation is conservation. |
US Department Of Transportation Tire Safety Tips... US Department Of Energy Mileage Tips... |
| Where are you located? We are located at 68300 Perez Road in Cathedral City, on the Northern perimeter of the Cathedral City Auto Center, between Highway 111 and Cathedral Canyon Drive. Click here to see a map that is viewable and printable, or to get turn by turn driving instructions from anywhere in the valley. If all else fails, call us at 760-328-6198 and we will guide you in. |
Here's the map! |
| Ask Dave Page 2 | |