Shocks and struts work together in your vehicle to help dampen spring oscillation, and help with ride control.  Without these parts, your vehicle would not have a smooth ride, especially when going over bumps.

Here are some signs that you might need new shocks and/or struts:

• The vehicle rolls or sways on turns
• The front-end of the vehicle dives when braking
• The rear end of the vehicle squats when accelerating
• The vehicle bounces or slides sideways on a winding, rough road
• The vehicle “bottoms out” (with a thump) on bumps

The best way to be aware of the condition of your shocks and struts is to have them checked out every time you have a tune up.  Advise the technician to take a look at your vehicle’s shocks and struts and in particular have them pay attention to:

• Leaks on the housing
• Dents on the shock or strut body
• Worn rubber mounting bushings
• Pitted piston rods
• Crushed rubber bumpers from “bottoming out”
• Abnormal wear on tires (high and low spots)

With care and regular preventative maintenance, your shocks and struts should stay in working condition.

Here is a list of the things that typically get check, replaced, or fixed during a tune up.

A technician will replace the:

• Air filter
• Fuel filter
• Spark plugs
• Spark plug wires

The technician will also:

• Adjust the valves or replace the valve-cover gasket
• Check all fluids and add more if necessary
• Test the battery, battery terminals and cables and clean or replace them if necessary
• Check the brakes, brake fluid, tire tread and tire pressure
• Check the air conditioning in the spring/summer and heating in the fall/winter

Other things that they might look at and repair or replace if needed include the:

• Carburetor
• Distributor cap and rotor
• PCV valve
• Oxygen sensor

Also, if the vehicle is a manual, the technician will look at the clutch.

It is recommended that a vehicle receives a tune up every year.  However, some people take their vehicle in every 6 months.

With regular tune ups, your vehicle will last longer and perform better.

1)     Move the vehicle out of the flow of traffic.  Try to move it to the right-hand side of the road if possible.  However, sometimes this is not an option.

2)     Demonstrate to other drivers that you are having problems.  You can open the hood of your vehicle and/or turn on your emergency flashers.  You can also use a roadside emergency flashlight.

3)     Remain in your vehicle, especially if the conditions are dangerous.  When it is dark or there is bad weather it can complicate the situation.  If you need to exit the vehicle for any reason, do it from the side that is not facing traffic.

4)     Call the police and/or a roadside assistance company like AAA. Make sure that someone will be able to come and either fix the problem, tow the car away, or make arrangements to have the car taken to a repair shop.

5)     Do not go on the road and stay away from moving traffic.  It can be tempting to try and flag down cars for help, but this is dangerous and could result in potential injuries.

6)     Do not try to repair the vehicle while it is in an area exposed to other traffic.  This can make conditions difficult to try and repair the vehicle and potentially make things worse.

If you follow these tips during your next breakdown, everything should go a lot more smoothly.

Nothing is worse than starting your car and it won’t turn over because of a dead battery.  This is a common problem that happens to many people.  But did you know that it is very easy to prevent?

Here are some ways to extend your car’s battery life and prevent untimely breakdowns:

1)     Ensure that all car doors are closed and all lights are turned off when parking your car.  This will prevent unnecessary wear to your battery.

2)     Examine your car battery regularly for leakage or cracks.  If you notice any damage, replace the battery immediately.

3)     Clean your battery terminals with a mixture of baking soda and water every six months.  This will prevent corrosion from building up.  Corrosion does not allow the alternator to properly charge the battery.

4)     Regularly examine the battery’s cables and connectors.  Pay attention to frayed wires or loose connections.  If you do find anything that looks problematic, have a professional inspect and repair it.

5)     Consider installing battery insulation around the car battery.  It can be purchased at automotive supply stores.  Battery insulation will help protect your battery from extreme temperatures and will help extend its life.

By doing these simple steps regularly, you can help extend the life of your battery.  This is especially helpful if you live in an area that experiences extreme temperatures during the summer or winter.

If it does, you may have a problem with the CV joints or CV boots.  Just in case you’re not down with the auto parts lingo, CV stands for “Constant Velocity.”

What Are CV Joints?

CV joints are found in front wheel drive cars and trucks.  The CV joints are attached to each end of your car’s drive shaft.  The CV joints help to transfer the torque to the steered wheels to ensure a constant velocity.

To help keep the CV joints going, joints are packed with grease and sealed by a CV boot.  This is a black rubber or plastic sleeve that fits over the CV joint to protect it from the elements.

Signs That It’s Time For New CV Joints

If you’re noticing a clicking or popping sound when you’re making turns, you’ll want to take care of it as soon as possible.

A lot of times only the CV boot will need to be replaced and packed with new grease.  If you wait too long, you may have to replace the CV joint or sometimes even the entire drive shaft.

You can check your CV joints yourself by turning your wheel and looking at the joints behind the wheel.  You’ll probably notice the CV joints right of the bat.  They’re the black rubber casings at the end of the drive shaft.

If your CV boots are cracked and leaking grease, you’ll want to see a mechanic as soon as possible.

Great Instructional Video

If you want to learn how to check your CV joints, here is a good video on how to check your CV joints.

Someone is stranded on the side of the road, and they need a tow truck service.

At some point or another, it will probably happen to you.

If this happens to you, the best thing that you can do is to stay calm and follow the tips below.  You’ll be on your way to finding a good towing service.

1. Check With Your Insurance Company: If you’re stranded on the side of the road, check with your insurance company.  Often times, they can do the research to find a reliable tow truck service.

2. Use Your Smartphone: If you have an Android phone, BlackBerry or iPhone, use it to do some research.  Find nearby tow truck services using Google or Bing.  Call around and shop for the best price.  If you have an iPhone, there is an app called Tow Truck Finder.  It uses your GPS location to find the nearest tow truck services.

3. Check Review Websites: Yahoo! Local and Yelp! are two great websites to help you find reviews about tow truck services.  You can find lots of great information about the services as well as how they treat customers.

4. Call Your Mechanic: If your car is stuck at home.  Consider giving your mechanic a call.  If you have a trusted mechanic that you regularly visit, they can help you find a good, reliable towing service.

5. Bargain: Once you find a few tow truck services, it never hurts to bargain.  See if you can get the price lowered.  Depending on how busy they are, they may accept a lower price.

You may also want to consider a towing service from an organization such as AAA.  With AAA, you pay a monthly fee and you get towing and roadside service when you need it.

If you don’t want to pay a monthly fee, consider using the tips above.

When was the last time that you had to use a tow truck service?  How was the experience?  Share your comments below.

At some point, you might run into an overheating problem with your car.  With today’s cars, it’s very important to take the following steps.

Steps to take if your car starts overheating

If you notice that engine temperature gauge on the rise you should:

1. Pull over to the side of the road. If possible find a parking lot.

2. Let the car cool down. You will want to wait at least 20 minutes before opening the radiator cap.

3. Open the radiator cap after the engine has cooled down.  Check to see if there is any coolant.  If not, you can add coolant or water to the radiator or overflow reservoir.

4. Immediately take your car to an auto repair shop. If you’re noticing serious leaks as you put coolant into the car, you may want to consider a tow truck.  You also may want to consider a tow truck if there isn’t an auto repair shop nearby.

Common causes of engine overheating include: low engine coolant, a cracked radiator, broken fans or a broken water pump.

Ignoring a rising engine temperature gauge is the worst thing that you can do.  This can lead to tons of costly repairs including fixing a blown head gasket.

If this is the case, here’s the diagnosis: You have an exhaust problem with your vehicle.  The good news is exhaust problems are easy to fix.

To give you a better idea about exhaust problems: If your car or truck is experiencing any of these symptoms below, it may have to do with the exhaust.

• Loud Sounds: If your car’s muffler is sounding louder than usual it may be a sign that you need to replace part of the exhaust system such as the muffler.
• No Exhaust Pressure: If you place a gloved hand over your tail pipe while the car is running and you don’t feel pressure, it likely there’s a hole in your exhaust system.  Warning: do not touch a tail pipe on a car that has been running for a while.
• Soot Marks: Get under your car and look at your exhaust system with a flashlight.  If you see any black soot marks on the muffler or any exhaust pipes, it means there is a hole in your exhaust system.  Make sure your car is off before getting under it.

If you notice any of these signs, it means you may need to repair or replace your exhaust system.  Sometimes you may only have to replace the muffler.  Other times, you may only need to patch a small hole in a pipe.

It all depends on the age and condition of the exhaust system.  If you’re noticing any of these problems, you’ll want to tell your mechanic about them during your next Phoenix car tune up or during your next Tucson car tune up.

You want someone whom you can trust. You want someone who is reliable. And you want someone who has the proper skills. Let’s not forget, you also want this all done at a fair price.

It may seem like a lot, but finding a reliable mechanic is not as hard as you may think. In fact, it’s probably easier than finding the right person to cut your hair. Here are some tips on how to find a reliable mechanic.

Do Some Research: Before you have any problems with your car or truck, do some research on the auto repair shops in your community. Go online and read reviews on online forums. Talk with family and friends about their mechanics. See if their mechanics are certified by organizations such as the Automotive Service Excellence.

Conduct An Interview: After you’ve narrowed down your search to a few auto repair shops, take some time to talk with the managers and mechanics. You want to find someone who will listen. Listening is one of the most important qualities of a mechanic. It will help them determine the problem with your vehicle. You can learn a lot by talking with a mechanic. Ask them about your vehicle and what types of problems they typically have. This will help to see if they’re the right fit.

Take Them For A Test Drive: If you’ve found a mechanic you like, have them perform a minor maintenance issue such as an El Paso oil change or a Sacramento brake check. This will help you determine the auto repair shop’s quality of service. If everything goes smoothly, you’ve probably found the right mechanic for your car or truck.

It’s important to find a mechanic before you have any major issues with your car or truck. That way you won’t be rushed during the research and interview process.

Following the above stops will help you find the right mechanic for your car or truck. Now if only they worked for finding the right barber, life would be great.

A blown fuse means some electrical feature of your car is no longer working. Often it’s the radio, interior lights or turn signals. Checking to see if a fuse is blown is an easy process.

Following these steps will help to determine if you need to replace your fuse.

Step 1: Find your owner’s manual and locate the section on fuses. Your owner’s manual will tell you where the fuse box is located. The fuse box is often somewhere below the dash. It’s usually to the left of the steering wheel or near the parking brake.

Step 2: After locating the fuse box, remove the fuse box cover. It should usually snap open. You may need to open it with a screwdriver.

Step 3: Using your owner’s manual, locate the diagram. The diagram will tell you which fuse corresponds with the stereo, interior lighting, etc. Sometimes the fuse diagram is on the lid of the fuse box.

Step 4: Remove the fuse for the electrical feature that is no longer working. You may need tweezers to remove the fuse.

Step 5: After removing a fuse, turn it over to see if it is blown. Check the metal link inside the fuse. If it is separated, the fuse is broken and needs to be replaced.

Buying Fuses

Every parts store should carry fuses. Visit any nearby parts store to purchase replacement fuses. Before buying, check to see if your car has some extra fuses. Some cars come with extras.

Installing the Fuse

Installing a new fuse is easy. Just push the new fuse into place and reattach the fuse box lid. Check to see if the malfunctioning part is now working. If it’s not, you may have some other electrical issue. For lights, it may be the light bulb.

If you’re having any trouble diagnosing an electrical problem, a technician can help you during an El Paso car tune up or a Santa Fe oil change.