Power Steering Service

Posted by & filed under Steering.

For most of us living in the Auburn area, it is hard to remember life without power steering – cranking those great big steering wheels? It was a pretty good workout. Now power steering is standard. The heart of any power steering system is its pump. The pump pressurizes the power steering fluid that provides assist for steering. Most pumps are driven by a belt that is run by the engine – a few are electrically powered. A high-pressure hose passes fluid from the pump to the steering gear. A low pressure hose returns the fluid back to the pump.

These hoses can develop leaks, so it is a good idea to inspect them at every oil change. Low fluid can damage the power steering pump. That is why fluid level is on the checklist for a full-service oil change. The fluid needs to be compatible with the hoses and seals, so check your owners’ manual for the right type – or just ask your service technician at Central Avenue Automotive.

Power Steering Service

The fluid cleans, cools and lubricates the power steering system. It breaks down as the years go by and collects unwanted moisture, so it needs to be replaced from time to time. Many manufacturers specify power steering service intervals. Unfortunately, this important service is sometimes left off the maintenance schedule for many of us in Auburn. So, when in doubt, every 25,000 miles/40,000 km or two years is a good fallback. Your Central Avenue Automotive service center in Auburn will use a detergent to clean the system, flush out the old fluid and replace it with the good stuff.

Here are some warning signs of trouble with your power steering: It’s harder to turn the wheel, there’s erratic power assist, you hear loud whining coming from the pump (which may be difficult to hear over the loud whining coming from the backseat), you have to top-off the fluid frequently, or you hear squealing belts. Remember to never hold the steering wheel to the far right or left for more than a few seconds at a time. That will wear out your power steering pump real fast.

Other steering components can be bent or damaged from wear or hard knocks. Ball-joint, idler-arm, steering-gear, steering-knuckle and tie rod to name a few. Warning signs here are steering play, wandering, uneven tire wear, and off-center steering wheel. An annual alignment check at Central Avenue Automotive will reveal bent or damaged steering components.

Most SUV’s, pick-ups and rear-wheel-drive cars need regular front-wheel-bearing service.

The bearings should be cleaned and inspected. If they are excessively worn, they need to be replaced. The bearings are then repacked in clean grease. It’s also recommend the wheel-seal be replaced when the bearings are serviced. Like everything else, check your owners’ manual maintenance schedule. It’s usually required around every two years or 40,000 miles/64,000 km. If you drive through water in the Auburn area, the bearings will need service more often.

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Why A Trip Inspection Is A Good Idea

Posted by & filed under Maintenance.

At Central Avenue Automotive we get a lot of Kent motorists asking about car trip preparation. That’s a big deal. You could be driving through mountains and deserts in some pretty lonely areas outside of Kent so it’s important to know that the car is up to the task and won’t leave you stranded.

Smart Auburn car owners plan ahead for a major road trip – there are a lot of things to get ready. Where should you start? You could start with the tires. Look them over for tread wear and check to see that they are properly inflated. Take a quick test drive around Kent to see if you can feel any vibrations: are the wheels in balance? Is the car tracking straight? Is the alignment ok? Come to Central Avenue Automotive for a peace-of-mind trip inspection.

1514 Central Ave S Ste A
Kent, WA 98032
253.854.6762

The next thing is a full service oil change to make sure all of your key fluids are topped off and you have fresh oil for the trip. And if your car has over 75,000 miles, you may consider putting in the high-mileage formulation to clean harmful sludge deposits in the engine. You may also need a new PCV valve and an engine air filter.

How about your transmission and brakes? Have you had your transmission and brakes inspected in the last six months?

How are your wiper blades? There’s nothing like not being able to get rid of the bug juice on a long road trip away from Kent.

Check your owners’ manual for any other essential recommended service and have Central Avenue Automotive in Kent do the multi-point inspection before you head out in WA.

Consider also having the coolant system serviced at Central Avenue Automotive – you want to stay within the automobile manufacturer’s recommendations. If you’re towing a trailer in Kent you’ll want to be keep in mind that you’ll be going a long way under severe conditions.

A lot of Kent folks overlook severe conditions like towing, or Kent summer heat, or driving on dirt roads in WA. Plan ahead for your next road trip – Central Avenue Automotive wants you to get there and back.

Make Your Battery Last

Posted by & filed under Battery.

Today’s report from Central Avenue Automotive is on car batteries, why they die and what we can do to lengthen their life. Most of us have had a dead battery at one time or another. In fact, it would be very unusual if you hadn’t. You may be surprised to learn that only 30 percent of Kent vehicle batteries last for 48 months.

Now that’s an average. How long a battery lasts depends on many factors. You may not know that one of the biggest factors is the temperature where you live and drive around Kent. You might suppose that cold weather was harder on batteries because it takes more power to crank a cold engine, but the opposite is actually true.

For more information on your battery, please visit us:
Central Avenue Automotive
1514 Central Ave S Ste A
Kent, WA 98032
253.854.6762

Batteries in very cold climates have a life expectancy of 51 months as opposed to 30 months in very warm climates. The reason is simple: batteries are chemically more active when they’re hot than when they’re cold.

A car battery will actually start to discharge on its own within 24 hours in hot weather. It takes several days in cold weather. When batteries are left too long in a state of partial discharge, the discharged portion of the battery plates actually, for the lack of a better word, ‘die’. Recharging the battery will not restore the dead part of the battery plate.

One of the big problems for the way most of us drive in the Kent area, is that our batteries are often partially discharged. The biggest job the battery does is to start the car. It takes some time for the alternator to recharge the battery after starting. If you’re driving short distances, especially if there are several starts and stops, your battery may not fully recharge.

Another issue is that vehicles are coming equipped with more and more electricity hungry accessories like navigation systems, DVD players, CD and MP3 players, heated seats, heated steering wheels and so on. And we often plug in cell phones, computers and other gadgets. Combine that with short trips and it’s no wonder that our batteries are partially discharged.

Experts say we can extend our battery life by topping off the charge periodically using a good quality battery charger. You may’ve heard these chargers referred to as ‘trickle chargers’. They’re attached to the battery and plugged into a wall outlet to slowly bring the battery up to full charge.

Now there’s some science involved with how fast a battery should be recharged. If you buy a cheap manual charger, you’ll have to tend it. Frankly a learning curve on how to do it right and requires much attention. A computer controlled charger – or smart charger – monitors the process and determines the appropriate rate of charge. And it even stops charging when it’s fully charged. It costs more than the manual charger, but the automatic model is worth it.

The suggestion is to charge once a month in warm weather and once every three months in cold weather.

Another thing to avoid is deeply discharging your battery. Something like running the headlights and stereo with the engine turned off. That’ll take months off the battery life every time you do it.

Now, as we discussed, heat is hard on a battery. A dirty, greasy battery holds more heat. You can wipe off excess dirt with a paper towel or ask your service advisor at Central Avenue Automotive to clean it for you. Central Avenue Automotive can even test your battery and tell you if it’s time to replace it.

Batteries are fairly expensive, so taking a few steps to make them last longer is well worth it. Of course, the battery will eventually need to be replaced. Always make sure you get a new battery that meets the factory specifications for your vehicle. If you feel you need more battery capacity than what came with your vehicle, talk with your service advisor at Central Avenue Automotive about appropriate upgrades.

If you have a dead battery, be careful to inspect it before you jump start it. If the case is bulging, cracked or leaking, do not jump start it. Damaged batteries can explode or catch fire. And deeply discharged batteries can freeze. Do not jump start a frozen battery.

How to Handle High Mileage Vehicles

Posted by & filed under Maintenance, Older Vehicles.

Nowadays, everyone in Kent, WA is paying more at the gas pump. For some families in the greater Auburn area who commute or drive a lot, that can add up to several hundred dollars every month. That’s got to come out of the budget somewhere. Throughout North America, people are putting off buying a new car and plan on keeping their old vehicle for a year or two longer than before.

Even now, 2/3 of the personal vehicles on our local roads have over 75,000 miles on them. The average age of vehicles is over nine years. Most drivers can’t afford to be stranded or inconvenienced by a breakdown, so following a regular maintenance schedule, like a personal diet and exercise plan for our body, is actually critical for preserving your investment.

High Mileage Vehicles

Knowing what to do for a high mileage vehicle can be challenging because many owners’ manuals don’t publish service intervals after 60,000 miles. It just means that you need to be better at keeping records and planning your preventive maintenance.

You can start by figuring that services with a recommended maintenance schedule should still be performed on that schedule, even after you’re past the tables in your service manual. For example, a service might be recommended every 15,000 miles. Well, just keep doing it every 15,000 miles for as long as you have your car.

High mileage engines operate under more stress than their newer counterparts, which is important to keep in mind. Some experts suggest that a stricter service schedule is more appropriate and that routine service should be performed at shorter intervals. Check with your owners’ manual or service advisor to see if a more frequent service schedule is right for your vehicle.

Keeping up with your full-service oil change schedule is important for a couple of reasons. First, older engines have had more time to build up oil sludge. Skipping an oil change here and there can really compound the problem for your SUV, truck, or car.

The second benefit is that your other fluids are routinely checked and topped off. Power steering fluid, brake fluid, coolant and transmission fluid can be kept at optimal levels even though the older seals and gaskets are leaking more than when they were new.

Speaking of older seals and gaskets, they start to dry out and become more brittle with age. You may want to consider using high mileage formulation oil and fluids. These products contain special additives to condition seals and gaskets to keep them from leaking. The high mileage formulations cost more than standard products, but they are well worth it in terms of preventing serious repair bills down the road.

Older vehicles in the Kent, WA area often require repairs and replacements that newer ones don’t. Things like timing belts, radiator hoses, suspension work, anti-lock brakes, air bags, water pumps, alternators and batteries may need to be replaced. That may seem like a lot of stuff to have done, but it works out to be cheaper than new car payments.

With a high-mileage vehicle, a couple of relationships will become pretty important. The first is with your service advisor at Central Ave Auto. You need someone you trust to take care of your car and be mindful of your needs. Ask for help to develop a plan to keep your vehicle road-worthy that works within your budget, and keeps unique local driving conditions in mind.

The next relationship is with your vehicle itself. We’re not talking about naming your car or tucking it in at night. We just mean that you should pay attention and get to know your vehicle. Notice unusual sounds, smells, vibrations, etc. Then you can describe the changes to your service advisor and help prevent big problems before they start. We can’t do anything about the price of gas, but we can properly maintain your faithful old vehicle to keep in on the roads for many more miles.

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What to Do After Buying a Used Vehicle

Posted by & filed under Older Vehicles, Service Intervals, Service Standards, Warranty.

When you purchase a used vehicle in Kent or other nearby cities, it can be tough to know what you’re getting. Regardless of area, people sell their cars for a lot of different reasons. If you’ve ever sold a car before, think of your reasons. Did you just want something new, or were there problems that you didn’t want to deal with anymore? Maybe it was a little bit of both.

Used cars with 25,000 to 35,000 miles on them are often lease returns, corporate program cars, or vehicles that have done duty in rental fleets. You can feel pretty confident that newer cars are often still under warranty, but how well have they been maintained?

Caring for a Used Car

If someone plans on owning a car for a long time, they know it’s essential to keep up on the maintenance so they can avoid expensive repairs down the road. However, if they know they’re only going to have the car for two or three years, they may not be so committed to maintenance. It would be easy to think that skipping an oil change here and there wouldn’t ruin a brand new engine. After all, it’ll be someone else’s problem when it comes time to pay for the damage later. Following this line of thought, it would be very tempting to skip the 30,000 mile service if you knew you’d be turning in your leased vehicle in a couple of months anyway.

If your new-to-you vehicle didn’t come with maintenance records, you need to assume the worst. It’s very possible that the transmission and coolant systems have never been serviced. The cabin air filter has probably never been changed, and a fuel system cleaning may be in order.

After you purchase your car, you’ll want to bring it in to a trusted auto shop to check the air conditioning, battery, engine air filter, serpentine belt and hoses. If the seller will let you, you may even want to have it done prior to purchase. An inspection at Central Avenue Automotive is well worth the cost.

If your “new” used vehicle has a lot of miles on it, an inspection is even more important. In older vehicles, parts like the timing belt may need replacing before they cause bigger problems for the engine. Check your owner’s manual or talk with your service adviser at Central Avenue Automotive (call 253.854.6762) about what sort of services the car should have had and when.

We’re always happy to help you create a plan to take care of critical services and get the rest caught up. If your budget won’t allow you to take care of everything right away, we can help you prioritize your needs and get it taken care of over the next several months. Always remember to keep your maintenance records for future sellers. They’ll help you get top dollar when it’s time for you to sell.

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Clean Air for Your Engine: Engine Air Filters In Kent

Posted by & filed under Maintenance.

Every Kent car owner who has taken their car in for an oil change has been told that their engine air filter’s dirty.

Here’s what goes into the determination of when to change the filter: First, your SUV owner’s manual will have a recommendation of when to change the filter. Second, a visual inspection by your Kent technician may determine that your filter it is visibly dirty and needs to be changed.

Clean Air for Your Engine Kent Engine Air Filter

So between your owner’s manual and your Auburn technician’s inspection there’s really no guesswork involved for Kent auto owners.

Now, most air filters purchased in Kent, Federal Way, Burton, or Kent don’t cost a lot to replace. It’s just that WA people hate getting caught with an unexpected expense. On the plus side, though, changing a dirty air filter at Central Avenue Automotive can often save enough on gas to pay for itself before your next oil change in Kent.

Think about a dirty furnace filter in your Kent home. When it’s all clogged up, enough clean air can’t get through. In your SUV, that means that your engine can’t get as much air as it needs to burn the fuel efficiently. So it makes do with less air and has to use more costly WA gas to move your vehicle around Auburn roads.

Your SUV actually needs about 12,000 gallons of air for every gallon of gas it burns. Engine air filters don’t cost much in Kent at Central Avenue Automotive. When it’s time to change yours, just get it done. You’ll get better fuel economy, have better performance and protect your SUV engine.

Cooling System Components

Posted by & filed under Cooling System.

Today we want to talk about a key system in our cars – the cooling system. It’s one of those things that Kent drivers don’t give much thought to until it fails and then they’re stranded by the side of a road in Kent.

Cooling systems fail more often than any other mechanical system – usually because of neglect. Don’t you hate it when something breaks, and you could have done something to prevent it?

The good news is that if Kent motorists take care of their cooling systems they can keep working for the life of their car.

Here at AutoNetTV and Central Avenue Automotive in Kent, we emphasize critical preventive maintenance services like replacing your coolant according to the factory schedule. But the various parts that make up the cooling system need attention too. The major components of the cooling system are the water pump, freeze plugs, the thermostat, the radiator, cooling fans, the heater core, the pressure cap, the overflow tank and the hoses.

It sounds complicated, but we Kent drivers don’t have to be experts – we can leave that to our considerate service professional at Central Avenue Automotive. But, having an overview will help us remember how to take care of your car’s cooling system.

Most Kent folks would be surprised to know that burning fuel in your engine produces up to 4,500 degrees of heat. And all that heat has to be dealt with. If the heat can’t be drawn off the engine, the pistons will literally weld themselves to the inside of the cylinders – then you just have to throw the engine away and get a new one. That would cost thousands of dollars.

Now the water pump is what forces the coolant through passages in the SUV engine to absorb heat. The pump is driven by a belt that needs replacement from time to time. And the water pump will eventually wear out and need to be replaced. Spending some cash on replacing the belts and water pump is much less than the cost of repairing the extremely expensive damage that can be done when an engine seizes.

There’s another little but key part of the coolant system that protects the engine. It’s called a freeze plug. If you remember from high school chemistry, water expands when it freezes. In very cold areas, the coolant can actually freeze when the SUV is left sitting.

It is hard to believe, but the expanding frozen coolant is strong enough to actually crack the engine block. The freeze plugs fit into the engine block. They fit tight enough to withstand the pressure of a running engine, but can expand or pop out if the coolant freezes. These little things save a lot of engine blocks.

That brings up a good point. An engine has to work in all kinds of WA temperatures – extremely hot as well as very cold. How does the SUV cooling system adapt to external temperatures as well as varying operating conditions?

Well, it’s much like the way you keep your Kent house at a comfortable temperature all year round – with a thermostat. The thermostat in your SUV controls how much coolant flows through your engine. When the engine is cold, it restricts coolant flow until the engine comes up to an efficient operating temperature. Then it starts opening up to move more coolant to keep the temperature within a specified range.

The thermostat needs to be replaced from time to time as well. It’s easy for your Central Avenue Automotive service specialist to diagnose a failed thermostat and is fairly inexpensive to replace. We can do this for you at Central Avenue Automotive in Kent, just give us a call: 253.854.6762. Now we’ve been talking about all this heat we’ve got to get rid of, but haven’t really talked about where it goes. That’s where the radiator comes in. The hot coolant passes through the radiator. Air flows past the cooling fins and cools the coolant.

The radiator has two tanks that hold coolant: sometimes one at the top and bottom or one on either side. If you have an automatic transmission in your SUV, one of the tanks will also contain a second tank that cools the transmission fluid. Large SUV’s and trucks often have a separate transmission cooler. So when Kent car owners drive around Kent, the air is forced past the radiator. But driving doesn’t produce enough air flow. So the radiator has cooling fans that force fresh air over the radiator. These fans may be powered by a belt or by electric motors.

Kent drivers also have something called a heater core. The heater core is like a mini radiator. A small fan blows air over the heater core and into the passenger compartment of your SUV. That’s how Kent motorists warm their cars when it’s cold out in WA.

Next is the radiator cap. With most newer cars around Kent, you never remove the radiator cap, except to replace it. You add coolant through the overflow tank. The radiator cap is also called a pressure cap, because its important job is to maintain pressure in the cooling system.

High pressure raises the boiling point of the coolant, so it cools more effectively even in very demanding Auburn conditions. That is why Kent drivers need to replace the cap from time to time. The team at Central Avenue Automotive recommends changing it out every time you replace your coolant.

Coming back to the overflow tank, it is key because when the coolant gets hot it expands and the overflow holds the extra volume. The tank helps maintain the proper level of coolant and keeps air out of the system. Kent drivers should never open the radiator cap or over flow tank when the engine is hot. This could lead to serious burns.

What else do we Kent motorists need to do to keep our cooling systems working well? Well, there are the hoses that hook all of these pieces together. They’re obviously very tough to deal with the pressure and high temperatures. But they do get worn. Sometimes they get spongy from the heat. Sometimes they lose their connection to the radiator, water pump, etc. It’s a great idea to have your Kent service center or considerate Central Avenue Automotive service professional inspect your hoses at least once a year and replace them, if needed, before they break.

The team at Central Avenue Automotive can check your cooling system and make any necessary adjustments or repairs. Give us a call at 253.854.6762.

Central Avenue Automotive
1514 Central Ave S Ste A
Kent, WA 98032
253.854.6762

Air Filters and Keeping Your Air Clean

Posted by & filed under Cabin Air Filter.

Let’s talk about air quality in Kent. It’s a global issue, but affects us wherever we are. Many decades ago, we began to become aware of how air pollution negatively affects health. But what about the air inside your vehicle?

Cabin air filters are now coming standard on most new SUVs and other cars. These filters purify the air in the passenger compartment. They can filter particles down to three microns, so that’s good enough to clean out dust, pollen and most pollutants. If you suffer from allergies, this is very good news. Your car can be a haven during your Kent commute.

Air Filters Keep Air Clean

Now, it’s only been in the last several years that cabin air filters have become common. You can look in your owner’s manual to see if your car has one. If you do, there’ll be a recommendation for replacing it when it gets dirty. If you live in an area where there’s a lot of dust, pollen or pollution, you may need to change it more often. As we come out on the far side of spring and move into summer, certain allergens will be more common.

If you suspect that your air filter is dirty or needs to be replaced, it’s time to make an appointment at your local auto shop. How hard is it to change an air filter on a car? It depends on your vehicle. Some are quite accessible, while others require skill and knowledge to get to. They’re usually in the engine compartment or under the dashboard.

Because cabin air filters are so new on the scene, some drivers haven’t heard of them – even people who have cabin air filters in their car or SUV. If you’ve noticed a strange, musty, or weird smell in your cabin, it could be the result of a dirty filter. To keep the air in your car fresh and the allergens at bay, make sure you always have a clean air filter!

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Wiper Blades In WA

Posted by & filed under Windshield Wipers.

If you’re gonna drive around the Auburn area, you’ve got to be able to see! So having a good pair of windshield wipers is extremely important. We’ve all experienced the frustration and fear of not being able to see clearly during a storm, or when our windshield is just dirty.

It seems like your wiper blades are always at their worst when you need them the most. But windshield wipers are like most other vehicle parts– they require regular attention in order to work their best.

You really ought to replace your wiper blades twice a year; in the spring and the fall. If it’s going to be a particularly harsh winter in Kent, you may even want to get special winter blades in the fall. Winter blades are designed to resist freezing.

Speaking of winter and freezing conditions, if your car has been sitting for a long time and the windshield becomes frozen, don’t use your wipers to clear off snow and ice. That’ll just tear up the blades and cause them to wear out more quickly. It may even damage the wiper motor.

Over time, wiper blades become hard and brittle, and then tear. They also lose their flexibility and just don’t cover the windshield effectively.

Worn wiper blades aren’t just a safety hazard; they can also scratch your windshield. That may require replacing the entire windshield; a big cost for such a little part.

Replace worn blades right away. Your local service center can provide you with a quality replacement blade. They cost about the same as they would at the store; but installation is included at Central Avenue Automotive.

Of course you also need washer fluid to help your blades do their work. Even though your local Kent service center will top off the washer fluid with a full service oil change, it is a good idea to have some extra fluid at home, or in the car if you are on a long trip.

Always use windshield washer fluid. Plain water, even that fancy bottled water, may freeze in the fluid reservoir or on the windshield itself, making things worse. Besides, water won’t do a good job of cleaning your windows.

And remember that some vehicles have two reservoirs: one for the windshield and one for the back window – which may be under the hood or somewhere in the back.

So follow these tips to keep your windshield clear and your eye on the road, and give us a call at Central Avenue Automotive or come by our shop at 1514 Central Ave S Ste A, Kent, WA 98032. Call to make an appointment at 253.854.6762

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Car Maintenance Tips to Save Gas

Posted by & filed under Fluids, Maintenance.

Car Maintenance to Save Gas

If there’s one constant that Kent drivers are always painfully aware of, it’s the rising price of gas. For some, the obvious answer for saving some gas money is to buy a more fuel-efficient vehicle. For the rest of us, we can’t just go out and buy a new hybrid, so we need to improve our fuel economy any way we can.

Following recommended service intervals to get your fluids changed is one of the best ways to keep your car running efficiently. Regular fluid service results in better fuel economy. When you think about it, this makes perfect sense. Dirty oil or transmission fluid can’t lubricate or clean, and that means more drag, which reduces fuel economy. Keeping up with scheduled oil changes and transmission services will save gas.

Another simple, but very effective, way to save gas is to keep your tires properly inflated. Tires that are too low can cost you up to a mile per gallon. Check your tire pressure when you gas up, or at least once a month.

Dirty engine air filters are another efficiency pirate. They rob your engine of the air it needs to effectively burn the fuel, which means you need more gas to get the job done. Replacing a dirty air filter can pay for itself in fuel savings before the next oil change.

You can imagine what dirty fuel injectors can do to your SUV as you drive around town. If your manufacturer specifications recommend a fuel system cleaning every so often, then call in or go online to make an appointment at our shop and ask us to get it done for you.

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