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Why cars need preventative maintenance?
Why Preventive Maintenance
Manufacturers know that a properly maintained car will be more dependable, safer, last longer, and increase your
satisfaction with their product. Car makers and owners also have a responsibility to make sure emission controls
receive regular service and are functioning properly. Regular maintenance helps accomplish these goals by
keeping your engine running efficiently and eliminating potential problems that may leave you stranded.
What's in it for you?
More Dependable Car
A car that retains the "new car feel"
Less chance of a costly breakdown
A safer car for you and your family
Doing your part for cleaner air
A car worth more at trade in or sale
An intact warranty
Manufacturer Maintenance Schedules
The manufacturer creates detailed maintenance schedules outlining specific operations to be performed on various
components and systems. This is done at different mileage intervals to ensure proper operation and prevent
premature wear. The manufacturer also indicates what services must be done to maintain the factory warranty and
extended warranty.
ALLDATA(R) Automotive Information System
This service facility is equipped with an automotive information system that provides this detailed data. The
ALLDATA(R) system even lists high-tech specialty lubricants required for your particular car. Other information
includes vehicle specific repair and diagnostic information and factory-issued Technical Service Bulletins. The
bottom line is efficient, dependable and cost-effective service for you.
What is included in a complete brake job?
A complete brake job should restore the vehicle's brake system and braking performance to good-as-new condition.
Anything less would be an incomplete brake job.
Brake components that should be replaced will obviously depend upon the age, mileage and wear. There is no pat
answer as to which items need replacing and which ones don't. It's a judgement call.
A complete brake job should begin with a thorough inspection of the entire brake system; lining condition, rotors
and drums, calipers and wheel cylinders, brake hardware, hoses, lines, and master cylinder.
Any hoses that are found to be age cracked, chaffed, swollen, or leaking must be replaced. Make sure the
replacement hose has the same type of end fittings (double-flared or ISO) as the original. Don't intermix fitting types.
Steel lines that are leaking, kinked, badly corroded, or damaged must also be replaced. For steel brake lines, use
only approved steel tubing with double-flared or ISO flare ends.
A leaking caliper or wheel cylinder needs to be rebuilt or replaced. The same applies to a caliper that is frozen (look
for uneven pad wear), damaged or badly corroded.
Leaks at the master cylinder or a brake pedal that gradually sinks to the floor tells you that the master cylinder
needs replacing.
The rotors and drums need to be inspected for wear, heat cracks, warpage, or other damage. Unless they are in
perfect condition, they should always be resurfaced before new linings are installed. If worn too thin, replace them.
Rust, heat, and age have a detrimental effect on many hardware components. It's a good idea to replace some of
these parts when the brakes are relined. On disc brakes, new mounting pins and bushings are recommended for
floating-style calipers. High temperature synthetic or silicone brake grease (never ordinary chassis grease) should
be used to lubricate caliper pins and caliper contact points.
On drum brakes. shoe retaining clips and return springs should be replaced. Self-adjusters should be replaced if
they are corroded or frozen. Use brake grease to lubricate self-adjusters and raised points on brake backing plates
where shoes make contact.
Wheel bearings should be part of a complete brake job on most rear-wheel drive vehicles and some front-wheel
drive cars. Unless bearings are sealed, they need to be cleaned, inspected, repacked with wheel bearing grease
(new grease seals are a must), and properly adjusted.
As a rule, tapered roller bearings are not preloaded. Finger tight is usually recommended. Ball wheel bearings
usually require preloading.
As a final step, old brake fluid should always be replaced with fresh fluid.
What should a complete tune-up include ?
Electronic ignition, computerized engine controls, and electronic fuel injection have eliminated many adjustments
that were once part of a "traditional" tune-up. Most would agree that a tune-up today is a preventive maintenance
service and engine performance check.
Call it what you will, a complete tune-up should combine elements of preventive maintenance, adjustment and
performance analysis. One of the main reasons people bring a vehicle in for a tune-up is because they are
experiencing some kind of driveability problem.
Things like hard starting, stalling, hesitation, misfiring, poor fuel economy, or lack of power are seldom cured by a
new set of spark plugs and a few turns of a screwdriver. Every tune-up should include a comprehensive
performance check to verify that no driveability problems or trouble codes exist.
Another item that should be included is an emissions check. Thirty-five states now have some type of annual
vehicle emissions inspection program, and all but two include a tailpipe emissions check. Most mechanics will check
EGR valve operation, the PCV valve, and make a visual inspection of other emission control components and
plumbing. But unless an actual emissions performance check is made at the tailpipe, there is no way to know
whether or not the vehicle will meet applicable emission standards. An emissions check is a must.
Taking into account longer service intervals and reduced maintenance requirements of today's vehicles, a tune-up
is probably only necessary every 30,000 miles, or once every two to three years. This is altered when a driveability
or emissions problem arises that requires diagnosis and repair.
The best guide to tune-up frequency is probably the recommended spark plug replacement interval in a vehicle's
owners manual.
Our list of items that should be included in a "complete" tune-up include:
Replace spark plugs
Replace rotor
Check distributor cap (replace if necessary)
Check timing (adjust if necessary)
Check ignition wires (replace if necessary)
Check ignition performance (firing voltage and ignition patterns)
Check idle speed (adjust if necessary)
Check choke (carbureted engines)
Clean fuel injectors
Check compression and/or power balance (identifies bad fuel injectors as well as compression problems)
Check manifold intake vacuum (reveals exhaust restrictions)
Check battery/charging voltage
Check exhaust emissions (verifies fuel mixture, ignition performance and emissions performance)
Check vehicle computer for trouble codes
Install new air filter
Replace fuel filter
Replace PCV valve
Check all emission controls (EGR valve, air pump, etc.)
Check all vital fluid levels (engine oil, transmission fluid, coolant, brakes, power steering)
Check belts and hoses
Check safety items such as lights, wipers, tires (including inflation pressure), horn
Why should ball joint and tie rod pairs be changed in pairs?
It is not absolutely necessary, but many professional installers insist on replacing both even if only one is bad. This
is because both have more or less the same mileage and sooner or later the other one is going to fail too.
In many instances, the companion part on the opposite side is marginal, so it makes sense to replace both ball
joints (uppers and/or lowers) or both tie rod ends (inner and/or outer) at the same time. It also saves the customer
the inconvenience of having to bring his vehicle in a second time.
There is some evidence to suggest that suspension and steering components on the right side of a vehicle have a
somewhat higher rate of failure than those on the left side. The right side takes more punishment when it comes to
close encounters with curbs, potholes and other obstacles, and the typical vehicle makes more righthand turns than
lefthand turns.
Even though all suspension components have the same mileage, those on the right side often need to be replaced
at a lower mileage than those on the left.
It is important to check tie rod ends when doing any type of suspension work.
Some components also wear faster than others. Loaded ball joints (those that bear the brunt of the vehicle's
weight) wear out faster than unloaded ball joints. Loaded ball joints are the lower ones on vehicles where the spring
rests on the lower control arm, and the upper joints on vehicles where the spring rests atop the upper control arm.
The lower ball joints on FWD cars are unloaded.
Outer tie rod ends also tend to wear out faster than inner tie rod ends because the outer ones experience more
deflection and are more exposed to road splash, salt and dirt. Inner tie rod sockets on vehicles with rack and pinion
steering are protected by bellows, so the rate of replacement for the inner sockets is only a fraction of that for the
outer tie rod ends.
The real issue here is not which parts wear out first or why, but how your customer's needs can be best served. If
only one tie rod end or ball joint is obviously shot, but its partner on the opposite side still appears to be in good
condition (and the customer cannot afford to replace both at the same time) then do not tell him he has to change
both.
Better to sell only what he needs now and get his repeat business when the other part fails than to risk losing his
business by trying to sell him parts he is not convinced he really needs.
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