Seasonal Service Guidelines
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, especially when it comes to your car. When you take care of your car and schedule regular maintenance checkups, you not only spare yourself the headaches involved with roadside emergencies, you save a lot of cash. But you say you have trouble remembering your mother's maiden name, let alone when you should check your tire pressure? Well, put away that hard to find date book and consult this handy checklist to prepare your car for seasonal changes. Once a customer of ours, we will also assist by sending our periodic notices of suggested normal maintenance. Save yourself some money by checking our Seasonal Specials Page.
Winter
Let's start out with the toughest season both for desert people and desert cars - winter. Most of us are here in the desert because we don't like cold weather anyway! The desert winters are not brutally cold as they are in the surrounding mountains or other climatic regions. Even here, winter roadside breakdowns are inconvenient and they are dangerous as well. Colder temperatures test your vehicle's performance and make maintenance even more critical. Perform these easy checks and ensure your vehicle's readiness for rough weather.
Oil change - Double check your owner's manual, but a good rule of thumb recommended by most car manufacturers and certainly by us is to have the oil and filter changed every 3,000 miles or every three months, whichever comes first. Oil changes are inexpensive in comparison to major damage caused by oil viscosity breakdown. If in question, change the oil and filter! Read this to see how Engine Internal Lubrication take place.
Fluids check - Check all vehicle fluids, as we do when your car is in our shop, including brake, power steering, transmission/transaxle, windshield washer solvent and antifreeze. These fluids perform a big role in the safety and performance of your vehicle. Our mechanics will check your fluids and top them off if necessary as part of the oil change service. Don't be surprised, be prepared.
Get a cooling system tune up - Have your cooling system tested and flushed. Hoses, belts, thermostat and clamps should be inspected for functionality, damage or wear and replaced with quality parts, if needed.
Battery - A dead battery is the last thing you want on a cold, windy desert winter night! The American Automobile Association (AAA) recommends having a qualified service facility such as ours, perform a battery load test. In this simple test, our technician measures your battery's condition using a special battery and electrical system diagnostic analyzer. Because of the extreme changes in temperature range between summer and winter here, battery life is greatly shortened.
Lights - Don't get caught in the dark by being in the dark about your lights. Test your brake lights and make sure your turn signals and headlights are not dim or out totally. Check the emergency flashers. Replace any weak or damaged bulbs, lenses or sealed units. Headlights should be correctly aimed and aligned for your vision and so they don't blind oncoming motorists.
Spring
Spring is not only a good time to fertilize the desert plant life, it's an ideal time to correct nagging automotive problems left over from winter. Warmer weather is here, and it can create hardship on your cooling and electrical systems. Have us check them for you.
Oil change - The season has changed, checking the Oil Change Time Calculator indicates, as does your vehicle owner's manual that it's time for another oil change. Every three months or 3,000 miles will keep your vehicle from experiencing oil breakdown problems.
Air conditioner - Make sure it blows cold air and doesn't make unusual noises. Those triple digit temperatures come quickly and being prepared is the cool thing to do. See our other Air Conditioning Service information, based on questions we hear often.
Tires - Check your owner's manual, but AAA recommends having tires rotated every 6,000 miles, minimally every 7,500 miles. Bring your car to our certified facility and have the tires rotated. Ask to have the alignment checked as well. If tires are needed, we can install new MasterCraft Tires on your vehicle.
Wheel alignment - Winter driving can cause alignment problems, and tires won't wear evenly or grip the road correctly if the vehicle's front end isn't aligned properly. Poorly aligned tires also fight a vehicle's forward motion. That sort of motion also has an eraser effect on your tires causing them to loose much mileage much too early in their life. Rear alignment also should be checked on some cars.
Coolant - Have your vehicle's coolant level and the antifreeze/water mixture in the radiator checked. Take extreme care if you do this yourself. Radiators are under pressure and can cause serious injury if opened when hot; some are sealed systems. Bring in your car for a professional test.
Wiper blades - Scrutinize your windshield wiper blades whenever you fill up your car. If the rubber is ragged or brittle, replace them. AAA recommends replacing your wiper blades at least once per year; we suggest twice a year here in the desert due to the extreme heat. Blades often melt and attach to the windshield. After all, you want to be able to see clearly when you are driving through one of those April showers in the desert! Also check the blades for the rear window and headlamps if your vehicle is so equipped.
Summer
It's the season of hot weather, air conditioning and lemonade, but also of road trips and potential breakdowns. Head off possible vehicle emergencies with these quick checks, some of which you can easily do yourself.
Tires - Higher speeds during warm and hot weather call more than ever for typically underinflated tires to be properly inflated to prevent them from overheating and failing. Tires should be checked at least once a month by you with an inexpensive tire pressure gauge. If there is a better side to err toward, it is higher than recommended tire pressure. Slightly exceeding recommended tire inflation pressures by three or four pounds results in cooler running tires and crisper handling, without affecting the ride much; we suggest unless there is a good reason to do otherwise, consult your owners manual for tire pressure and abide by it. If the tires are underinflated, especially in the summer, you are looking for trouble. Also, make sure tires don't contain small nails or cracks. Since it is your tire insurance policy, don't forget to inflate and check the spare tire.
Oil change - Your vehicle will thank you as this is the most critical of the year. With brutal average summer temperatures in the triple digits, engines are prone to overhead quickly. Though often overlooked when thinking of cooling, the temperature of the engine is reduced by the oil as well as the radiator.
Your vehicle's fluids need to be checked - Hot weather can cause fluids to evaporate, hoses, seals, gaskets and connections to leak. If you are doing the checking, be sure to check them all: coolant, brake fluid, windshield wiper fluid, transmission fluid and battery fluid.
Fall
As we get back down to double digit highs in the desert, check your tires. Rotation keeps your tires from wearing unevenly and wearing out. Our technicians will inspect them for damage and potentially dangerous areas. The summer heat wears out tires very quickly here.
Oil change - Last one of the year! Ok consider it an early Christmas present for your vehicle. While you are at it, change the wiper blades again. You may have to peel them from the windshield or ask us to anyway.
Tires - Once, again have your tires rotated and the alignment checked. Routine car maintenance doesn't have to be a pain in the exhaust pipe, if you pay attention to the seasonal changes. Once you get in the habit, those periodic oil changes will practically happen by themselves.
All seasons
Periodically check the vehicle by doing a walk around. Pilots do that each and every time they fly a plane. You should visually inspect your vehicle regularly also.
Battery - The desert is unyielding when it comes to batteries. Winter allowed many marginal batteries to weaken further. But hot weather is as tough on a battery as cold weather, so make sure that electrical component is in good shape. Clean battery terminals and connections, which draw moisture in winter and cause an acid coating that can prevent a car from starting.
Body - If you have visited the mountains in the winter, rust-causing road grime and salt from winter driving should be washed away, especially from the underbody, wheel wells and door jambs, where that residue tries to accumulate. Wash the vehicle with a specially formulated car wash product, not household cleaners or detergents. Then wax the body to protect it from our year round hot sun, bird droppings, squashed insects and environmental pollutants. Don't forget the interior.
Belts and hoses - Winter and summer temperature extremes loosen belts and hose clamps, which always should be tight. Check for bulging or leaking hoses and for frayed or overly worn belts. Many newer cars have long serpentine belts that tend to get small cracks; small cracks weaken the belt and lead to big cracks and ultimately, belt failure. Belt failure always is inconvenient. A little prevention is worth a lot of cure.
Brakes - Warm weather, worse, hot weather and dry roads often mean higher speeds, which mandate brakes to be in top shape. Make sure the brake pedal doesn't have to be pushed closer to the floor than normal when stopping. Applying the brakes shouldn't cause a vehicle to "pull" to the left or right when applied. Although some minor brake squeal is normal on recent disc brake vehicles, brake noises are generally an indication of extreme wear. See our Brake Service page for more information.
Cooling system - The coolant should be fresh, and must be at the correct level. To prevent it from escaping, make sure hoses don't have cracks or cuts and that hose connections are tight. The radiator cap should be in good shape and fit tightly. Heat is the worst enemy of engines.
Filters and fluids - Gasoline pollutes engine oil in winter and in summer, so change the oil and oil filter regularly. What does regularly mean? Checking the Oil Change Time Calculator will give you a good idea. Check power steering, transmission, differential and brake fluid levels. A new gasoline filter periodically is a good idea because water often gets in the gasoline tank due to our extreme temperature changes being conducive to condensation. Dusty, sandy air conditions in our desert clog air filters quickly. Check them regularly.
Engine - Modern cars with sophisticated electronic components don't need classic tune-ups as often as older vehicles, although cars of any age get such things as frayed wires and normal wear and tear. Follow recommendations in the owner's manual for the vehicle, which gives mileage and time maintenance schedules. Watch for small changes in performance because electronic controls can mask small problems until they become expensive ones. If parts need replacement, do it before they fail totally and cause major damage.
Exhaust system - Has it become noisier? Even mild winters when crossed with hot summers can cause premature rusting of exhaust system parts from exhaust condensation. Desert road disrepair, bumps and potholes loosen clamps for mufflers and tailpipes. California smog certification depends on the condition of the exhaust system. Pay close attention to it.
Emergency kit - It's a good idea to carry an emergency kit. Each season, restock it with water, shelter from the sun, blankets, jumper cables, flashlight, reflective mirror, roadside warning devices such as reflective triangles, first aid kit and duct tape or electrical tape. Creative repair devices can patch a leaky hose or perhaps assist in other emergency conditions. A cellular telephone is mandatory in the summer in the desert.
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