May 10, 2012

Cooling System Service At California Auto Center

Filed under: Cooling System — california746 @ 6:13 pm

Cooling System Service At California Auto Center

Your minivan cooling system’s job is to keep your engine cool. Coolant (also called antifreeze) mixed with water flows through your engine and absorbs heat. The mixture then flows out to the radiator where it’s cooled by air flowing over the radiator. From there the cooled mix circulates back through the minivan engine to absorb more heat.

Coolant, or antifreeze, is specially formulated to keep your engine safe in a wide range of environmental and operating temperatures in Murrieta.

Without coolant, the minivan’s metal engine parts would expand so much that the engine would seize up and stop running.  Expensive parts could be broken or warp so badly they would have to be replaced at California Auto Center in Murrieta. It could even be so bad that the whole engine is ruined and has to be replaced.

Also, if it’s freezing outside in Murrieta, the water in your engine could freeze while your vehicle is sitting out in the CA cold. This is why you check coolant levels frequently and have your cooling system inspected for leaks. Also your manufacturer has a maintenance requirement for draining and replacing your coolant. These recommendations can vary widely, so check your Murrieta owner’s manual or ask your service advisor at California Auto Center in Murrieta.

The reason you need to change the coolant is that it has additives in it to protect the cooling system. As you can imagine, with all the heat, the cooling system’s a pretty harsh environment. The additives keep the fluid from becoming corrosive and damaging the radiator and other Murrieta cooling system components. Over time, the additives are depleted and the coolant just has to be replaced. A simple pH test can measure the coolant’s acidity.

You may have noticed that there are different colors of antifreeze at California Auto Center: it is very important that you use the correct type.  The different coolant types are different colors so you don’t mix them up.  Manufacturers use different materials to make the cooling system, and they require different types of antifreeze to protect them.

So check with your appreciative California Auto Center service advisor or owner’s manual for the right kind because using the wrong coolant can void the warranty for your minivan cooling system.

Ask us about tire rotation, PCV valve replacement and check engine light diagnostic.

Give us a call

California Auto Center
951.698.4886
26860 Jefferson Ave
Murrieta, CA 92562

At California Auto Center in Murrieta CA (92562) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 951.698.4886. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 4, 2012

Getting The Right Wheels And Tires At California Auto Center In Murrieta

Filed under: Tires — california746 @ 4:31 pm

Getting The Right Wheels And Tires At California Auto Center In Murrieta

A lot of people in the Lake Elsinore area want custom wheels. When you do this yourself (over the internet . . .) you could run into trouble if you’re not careful. Sometimes they just don’t fit right: The tires rub in turns or over bumps. Consulting a tire professional at California Auto Center in Murrieta can ensure you get the right fit for your minivan. First he’ll ask you a series of questions about your driving needs and what you want in your new wheels.

Now, not every wheel can go on every vehicle. Care must be taken so that tires and wheels are not too large or that the wheel is centered too far towards the outside or the inside. If you don’t want to make any modifications to your minivan, you would need to focus on a wheel and tire combination that would fit. With trucks, some Murrieta people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Murrieta people don’t realize that you need to keep the rolling diameter of your new tires – that’s the overall height of the tire – very close to what came from the factory in order for your anti-lock brakes and stability control systems to work properly.

The minivan computers that control these systems are calibrated to a certain size tire. When you go bigger or smaller, the computer doesn’t know what changes you made so it can’t tell how fast you’re going. This, of course, means it sends commands to the brakes and traction control that are based on the wrong sensor information. If you go with a different rolling diameter, your minivan vehicle control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size. At California Auto Center, we can give you information about control computer reprogramming.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in Murrieta. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Murrieta tire professional about how big the wheel should be – and select the right tire to meet your style, performance, ride and handling needs – and the best way to do all this is to have your appreciative California Auto Center tire specialist see your minivan in person so mistakes are not made.

At California Auto Center, we also offer brake service and PCV valve replacement.

Give us a call

California Auto Center
951.698.4886
26860 Jefferson Ave
Murrieta, CA 92562

At California Auto Center in Murrieta CA (92562) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 951.698.4886. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 26, 2012

Wheel Alignment Service At California Auto Center In Murrieta

Filed under: Alignment — california746 @ 6:49 pm

Wheel Alignment Service At California Auto Center In Murrieta

When all of a vehicle’s wheels are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Hitting a road hazard in Murrieta or even just the normal bumps and bounces of everyday CA driving can cause your minivan wheels to be out of alignment. This can lead to expensive premature tire and suspension wear.

Here are some alignment basics from California Auto Center:
The first angle is called toe: do the wheels point in towards each other or away from each other at the front of the tire.
The next angle is called camber: do the wheels tip in or out at the top.
And finally, there is castor. Castor measures the angle where the front axles attach to the vehicle.

The ideal alignment for your minivan was designed by its engineers. California Auto Center alignment service starts with an inspection of the steering and suspension – so see if anything’s bent, broken or worn out. Then the California Auto Center technician will look at tire condition. From there, the minivan is put on an alignment rack and an initial alignment reading is taken. The wheels are then aligned to manufacturer’s specifications.

Your owner’s manual probably has a recommendation for how often your minivan alignment should be checked – usually every couple of years. If you suspect an alignment problem with your minivan, get it checked at California Auto Center before you suffer expensive tire or suspension damage.

Give us a call

California Auto Center
951.698.4886
26860 Jefferson Ave
Murrieta, CA 92562

At California Auto Center in Murrieta CA (92562) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 951.698.4886. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 19, 2012

Viva la Differential At California Auto Center

Filed under: Differential Service — california746 @ 6:55 pm

Viva la Differential At California Auto Center

With front-wheel drive being so common in Murrieta these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Murrieta folks don’t even have to think about it. And most rear-wheel drive minivan differentials don’t need to be serviced for many miles, so it’s understandable that it’s not something on the top of mind. So it’s not uncommon for CA people to not know they have a differential let alone know that it needs service.

To better understand what a differential does, think about a high school track. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes. That’s to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes. Staggering the starting lines means that each runner has the same distance to run.

The differential compensates for the difference in speeds on drive wheels between the inside wheel and the outside wheel in a turn, because they have to travel together through slightly different distances.

Many minivan differentials do a lot of work and require very heavy duty parts. And those parts need protection. The differential fluid lubricates the gears in the differential and keeps them cool. The fluid eventually gets dirty and worn down. Some kinds of differentials require special additives that break down over time. So manufacturers and California Auto Center technicians recommend intervals for replacing your differential fluid.

Your California Auto Center service technician will drain the used fluid and check it out for metal bits, which could be a sign of excessive wear on the gears. He’ll then replace the fluid and install the additives if necessary.

Murrieta four wheel drive minivans need special attention to their differentials because they have a differential on both the front and rear axles that work at different times and sometimes under heavy loads – so they may need to be serviced at California Auto Center at different intervals.

Your Murrieta service advisor can look up the manufacturer’s recommended service interval or you can check your minivan owner’s manual.

Give us a call

California Auto Center
951.698.4886
26860 Jefferson Ave
Murrieta, CA 92562

At California Auto Center in Murrieta CA (92562) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 951.698.4886. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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February 16, 2012

Severe Driving In Lake Elsinore

Filed under: Severe Service — california746 @ 9:25 pm

Most Lake Elsinore motorists know that their owner’s manuals have schedules for preventive maintenance. Things like oil changes, transmission service and so on. They say you should change your oil every so many miles or after so many months. Lake Elsinore people understand this very well. Severe Driving In Lake ElsinoreWhat they may not know is that there are actually two service schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. The mileage and time intervals are lower on the severe service schedule.

Now when you hear “severe service”, you may think it doesn’t apply to you because you don’t feel your driving conditions are severe or extreme – it’s just normal everyday driving around Lake Elsinore. At California Auto Center, we discuss the conditions that manufacturers classify as severe so that you can make the judgment on your own driving.

  • Most trips are less than four miles
  • Most trips are less than ten miles and outside temperatures are below freezing in Lake Elsinore
  • You drive in very hot CA weather
  • Driving at low speed most of the time (under 55 mph)
  • Stop and go driving
  • Operating your vehicle in dusty, polluted or muddy conditions
  • You tow a trailer, regularly carry heavy loads or carry a car-top carrier on your minivan

Most Lake Elsinore drivers operate under severe driving conditions at least some of the time. How do you know which schedule to follow for your minivan?

Carefully think about your driving conditions and decide if you should do your preventive maintenance closer to the severe service recommendation or the regular recommendation. Of course, your California Auto Center advisor can help you with your decision.

At California Auto Center in Murrieta CA (92562) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 951.698.4886. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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