AUTONET TV

Maintenance on My Mind

Ask any Houston man or woman if they've taken their vehicle in for preventive maintenance lately, and the answer may well be “no.” Surveys indicate that over 80% of vehicles on the road today are in need of some kind of repair or maintenance. Now, ask that same person why he hasn't taken his car in for care. The answer will probably be that he forgot or that he just didn't think about it. Most Houston residents seem to have a hard time remembering about scheduled maintenance for their vehicles.

Funny, because most of us in Houston have no trouble remembering to wash our clothes, mow our lawns or brush our teeth. It isn't that we can't remember to take our vehicles for service; it's a matter of making it a priority.

When it comes to our vehicles, Houston drivers like myself, need to be a little more maintenance-minded. The fact is, we can choose to do it, or we might find ourselves being compelled to do it.

For example, when we consistently forget to brush our teeth, a major consequence usually follows. The pain of that experience usually compels us to be more mindful of our teeth and take better care of them.

The same goes for our vehicles. If we ignore them long enough, a painful experience is sure to follow—painful for our pocketbooks, that is. People in Houston who have gone through that experience are usually more conscientious about proper car care.

So, if you're not a fan of the school of hard knocks, at least when it comes to vehicle maintenance, remind yourself to look after your car. Pay attention to the little oil change tag on your windshield. When it's time take your car in, do it. But don't just change the oil. Get a full-service oil change at Westside Automotive. Your technician will then check all of your fluids. He can advise you if any of them need to be changed or if any of them are low.

Low fluid levels can indicate leaks or a worn hose or seal, so they can check those for you as well. Other signs of wear are also immediately evident when you get a full-service oil change, such as a cracked serpentine belt or corroded battery cable. Your Westside Automotive technician will also check the vehicle manufacturer's service recommendations for your vehicle and advise you of any other routine service that is coming due.

It's like a one-stop shop for auto advice that will keep you on top of your vehicle's maintenance.

If there is more to be done than the budget allows, you can get a picture of what needs to be done.  Then, create a plan with your Westside Automotive service advisor and budget for it during the coming months. It's a whole lot less painful than unexpected car repairs.

Vehicles are more reliable than they ever have been. They can take a lot of abuse and neglect. But they're also expensive and complicated machines. Houston drivers can't expect them to run forever without proper fluids and filters. Preventive maintenance at Westside Automotive in Houston will improve the reliability and life expectancy of your vehicle, as well as ensuring your safety on the road in TX.

Westside Automotive
12510 Oxford Park Dr.
Houston, TX 77082
281-589-8984
http://www.houstonwestsideautomotive.com

Getting Off to a Running Start (Starter Replacement)

When you start your vehicle’s engine, there’s another motor that makes that whole process possible.  It’s called the starter, and it’s a small electric motor that gets your vehicle running.  

As you can imagine, it’s quite a chore for a little electric motor to turn over the big engine that powers your vehicle.  And after hundreds of successful starting missions, after a while, it will start to give out.

You’ll know the starter is starting to give up the ghost when it turns too slowly or sometimes doesn’t do anything when you turn on the ignition.  Maybe it makes funny noises like grinding when you try to start your vehicle or maybe there’s just a click. Those are all reasons to get your vehicle over to us so we can see what’s going on. 

A technician will make sure the problem is the starter and not in the battery, a switch, or other electrical component or connections.  If all of those are ruled out, your starter will be replaced.  The technician will also make sure all the cables and connections to the battery are clean and solid.  

Often starter problems come on gradually, and they often give you advanced warning that it’s time to have it fixed—before you find yourself frustrated— and stranded.

Westside Automotive
12510 Oxford Park Dr.
Houston, TX 77082
281-589-8984
http://www.houstonwestsideautomotive.com

Keeping Your Cool (Water Pump Replacement)

No matter what the temperature is outside, it's important for your vehicle's engine to remain cool, calm, and collected.  Well, cool, anyway. If your vehicle has a gasoline engine, it's powered by a bunch of explosions involving spark plugs, pistons, gasoline, and air.  And the by-product of all those things working together? HEAT.

There's a whole cooling system to keep everything at a tolerable temperature for your engine's parts, and a key part of that is the water pump.  Technically, it's pumping more than water. It should actually be called the "coolant" pump since the liquid that circulates through the system is a mixture of water and coolant. 

Basically, the water pump keeps this coolant moving through your engine, where it picks up the engine heat, and then is pumped into the radiator where it gets rid of that heat.  When a water pump fails, the engine heat can build up.  When you get a warning light on the dash (either a gauge or a light) that shows the temperature is too high, it could mean a bad water pump. 

They can fail for many reasons. They have bearings in them that wear out, as does the seal between the pump and the engine. They're often driven by a belt or chain that can go bad.  Corrosion can spell the end of a water pump, too. 

If a technician determines your water pump has failed, it's time to replace it. In addition, other components of the cooling system will be inspected.  The best way to avoid a water pump failure is regular maintenance of your cooling system which includes regular draining and flushing of the coolant. 

Just like it's important for you to keep your cool, the same goes for your vehicle's engine.

Westside Automotive
12510 Oxford Park Dr.
Houston, TX 77082
281-589-8984
http://www.houstonwestsideautomotive.com

Not-So-Smooth Operator (Transmission Signs of Trouble)

You are heading down a flat, newly paved street when all of a sudden you feel it.  Your vehicle jumps a little bit when you're accelerating and changing gears.  You know it's not the surface of the road because it's smooth as silk.  So what did you just feel?

That kind of jumping—or grinding or slipping—during gear changes could be a sign of trouble in your automatic transmission.  And it's important to get it checked out fairly soon because some transmission problems that aren't fixed early can lead to more involved and expensive repairs.

By far most vehicles on the road in North America have automatic transmissions, and they are workhorses.  Unlike early cars with balky, hard-to-shift manual transmissions, the latest automatics allow you to drive without having to even think about gear changes.  But you should know about a few signs of trouble to look for if they ever start showing up.

• When you first get going and shift your vehicle from Park into Drive, do you feel a slight pause?
• How about when you shift into Reverse?  Is there a little lag?
• Does your vehicle sometimes shake when you're traveling down the road?
• Do you smell something burning in your engine compartment?
• Do you hear a clunk when your vehicle shifts?
• Do you have spots of a reddish or brown, oily fluid in the driveway under your vehicle?

If you do, these are worth getting checked out at our service center.  When automatic transmissions start to show signs of wear and age, it can be because of a number of reasons.  They can be caused by your transmission fluid getting old and contaminated, or its level may be low.  The gears can be worn.  You may have a leak somewhere in your transmission.  Or transmission problems might be caused by a computer problem.

Transmission issues aren't always expensive to repair.  Sometimes there may be a leak in a hose or gasket.  Or a computer needs to be reset.  Other issues may be much more involved.  This is why it's important to get your vehicle checked out when you do notice something doesn't feel, look, shift or smell quite right.  Everyone wants their automatic transmission to be a smooth operator.

Westside Automotive
12510 Oxford Park Dr.
Houston, TX 77082
281-589-8984
http://www.houstonwestsideautomotive.com