Spring Car Care Tips

Ever heard of the Serpentine Belt?

You know that long belt that snakes around the front of your engine? It’s called the serpentine belt. The best is driven by the engine as it turns. It powers your alternator, air conditioning compressor, and power steering pump. On some vehicles, it also runs the water pump, radiator fan, and power brakes. Sounds like a lot of important stuff doesn’t it?

If your serpentine belt were to break, your battery would die in a few miles. If it runs your fan or water pump, your engine could overheat. And steering and braking could be more difficult. Obviously, the best thing is to replace your serpentine belt before it breaks.

Check your owner’s manual for when it’s recommended to replace your serpentine belt—or just ask your Honest-1 service manager. He can inspect the belt as well to see if it’s in trouble. You may have been told to look for cracks in your belt to see if it needs to be replaced. Of course, cracks are still a concern, but modern belt material doesn’t crack as often as old belts did.

What we look for these days is the thickness of the belt. We have a special little tool that measures the depth of the grooves in the belt to see if it needs replacing. A worn belt can slip or be misaligned, putting undue stress on the accessories it runs.

Now you can imagine it’s important for the belt to be tight, so there’s a tensioner pulley on your engine that puts pressure on the belt to keep it at the right tension. The spring on the tensioner wears out over time so we recommend replacing the tensioner pulley at the same time as the serpentine belt. Replacing your serpentine belt on schedule, or when an inspection warrants it, will keep you from an unexpected breakdown. 

Honest-1 Auto Care Celebrates National Car Care Month with Free Safety Inspection and Seasonal Tips

In honor of National Car Care Month, Honest-1, one of the only national full-service auto care companies that is 100 percent ESA® Certified Eco-Friendly, is offering expert tips for recommended maintenance every car owner can benefit from, based on the auto company’s strategic approach to car care.

Honest-1 suggests the following tips to help car owners see their vehicles spring back to life:

1. Have your car serviced on a routine basis and you will save a bundle of time and money. All car manufacturers have a schedule of recommended service for each vehicle they sell. Follow this schedule. Be sure to follow your schedule for fluid flushes.
2. Check the level and color of all fluids at every gas refill. If you don't know how to check your fluids or know what color your fluid should be, then ask your reputable technician to teach you. Your vehicle's oils and fluids do break down and require replacement in order to properly lubricate. This can save you thousands of dollars in repairs to your vehicle and keep it operating safely.
3. Change your oil and oil filter regularly to protect your engine and improve your gas mileage. Dirty oil or incorrect grades can increase engine friction, thereby reducing fuel efficiency. (Consider using synthetic oil which provide better protection and last longer than regular oil). Honest-1 Auto Care offers their Eco 360 oil and fuel treatments. Eco 360 protects your engines internal components from damage, which prevents costly repairs, and reduces friction, which computes to improved gas mileage and engine performance.
4. Change the air filter to protect the engine by keeping impurities from entering the engine and improve your gas mileage. When your engines air filter becomes clogged it starves the engine for air. The onboard computers adjust for this by increasing the amount of fuel to maintain consistent firing in the cylinders. This can cause up to 10 percent in decreased fuel efficiency.
5. Monitor your brake pad thickness and do not let them damage the metal parts such as brake rotors and calipers. This will not only result in more dollars spent on repairs, but could result in unsafe driving conditions for you and your family.
6. Wash your car regularly so that it will not damage the body or undercarriage of your car. Pollutants in the air, bugs, tar, salt in air/road, dirt, sludge, and more all damage your car.
7. Make sure to stay on top of alignments. This will increase the life of the tire and increase your safety due to improve handling and improve gas mileage.
8. Keep your tires properly inflated. Having low tire pressure causes more drag between your tires and the road, thereby making your engine work even harder. Improper tire pressure can reduce the lifespan of your tires and gas mileage by up to 30 percent or more. Another option is to have your tires filled with Nitrogen which is a more stable gas. Some of the benefits of Nitrogen in tires are less fluctuation in tire pressure, reduced tire pressure leak down under increased temperatures, and longer lasting tire life.
9. Rotate your tires at every other oil change (every 6,000 miles). Rotating your tires equalizes tread wear and maximizes the life of your tires.
10. Check your wipers and lighting. Check that all interior and exterior lighting is working properly and replace worn wiper blades so you can see clearly when driving during precipitation.