Wayne's Garage (along with the Monday Morning Mechanic) is excited to present the following daily car tip. Check back every day for a new tip (Have a question you'd like answered in these tips? Contact us!).
Videos from the Monday Morning Mechanic
Wayne's Garage is excited to partner with the Monday Morning Mechanic to bring you helpful, money-saving videos like this. For more videos to help you get more miles for your dollars, visit www.MondayMorningMechanic.com!
Today's Car Care Tip: Shocks and Struts -- Comfort and Safety
What is a shock or strut? It's a hydraulic stabilizer...it keeps the tire in contact with the road and dampens or stills the car body after going over a bump. If your car is like a big, rubber ball bouncing down the road you're probably dealing with bad shocks.
Shocks and struts smooth the ride and keep your tires in contact with road. CONTROL = SAFETY.
How often do shocks go bad? Every 50-60,000 miles, when hydraulic oil leaks out or when the seals rupture.
What are the effects from bad shocks or struts? The tire looses its ability to maintain maximum contact with the road, causing:
Up to 50% loss in braking capacity (stop in 200 feet instead of 100 feet)
Loss of stability and control in turns
Excessive tire wear (cupping or chopping)
Vibration and noises
Excessive wear and damage to other suspension and steering parts
Structural damage to the frame, strut towers or perches
How do you know if you really need shocks or struts? First and foremost, get an evaluation by an ASE Certified Tech. They're the best judge of what your car does and does not need. Other ways of determining are if your car:
Has excessive bounce
Has excessive roll or sway on turns
Bottoms out over larger bumps (with a thump)
Has over 60k miles driven
You may also want to have your shocks or struts inspected if you tow a trailer, drive a 4x4 off-road (or on harsh roads), or if you notice that your car is leaking fluids...your struts or shocks may need repair because of a loss of hydraulic action or a seal failure.
Warm weather or cold, Philadelphia drivers still need to think about their sedan’s air conditioning. Most Philadelphia people don’t service their air conditioning until after it fails. At Wayne’s Garage, we can advise you on your vehicle manufacturer’s preventive maintenance schedules for air conditioning service, just as we do for transmission service, oil changes and so on.
Maintaining your air conditioning system means that you always have enough refrigerant to properly do the job. Small leaks in the sedan’s air conditioning system allow the refrigerant to escape and the system can’t cool the air as well. We see that a lot at Wayne’s Garage in Philadelphia.
The refrigerant also contains a special oil that lubricates air conditioning components, and keeps the seals resilient. Low refrigerant and lubricating oil means that the air conditioning parts will wear out prematurely, and all Philadelphia car owners know that air conditioning repairs can be costly. At Wayne’s Garage, we recommended that the air conditioner be run regularly, even during winter months, to keep the parts and seals lubricated.
Corrosion is what leads to many air conditioning system failures for Philadelphia motorists. The small leaks mentioned earlier also mean that air and water can leak into the air conditioning system. This can lead to rust and dirt in the internal workings of the air conditioning components. This greatly accelerates wear and, ultimately, failure.
Air conditioning service at Wayne’s Garage starts with a visual inspection of the components for signs of damage or leaks. The compressor is driven by a belt from the engine, most often the serpentine belt, so it’s inspected for cracks or wear. The air conditioning compressor and other components are checked for proper operation. Then comes the leak test. If a leak is detected, often in a hose or connection, it’s repaired and the system is retested.
Then the old refrigerant is evacuated and the system is recharged with clean, fresh refrigerant. A final test insures that the sedan’s air conditioner is working, and you’re on your way.
How often this should be done varies from vehicle to vehicle. Your sedan owner’s manual will have the manufacturer’s recommendation and, of course, your Wayne’s Garage service advisor can tell you. It’s typically every two years.
If you’re not getting enough cool air you know something’s wrong. Also, if you hear strange sounds when you turn the air on, there might be a problem with the compressor and you should get it checked out at Wayne’s Garage. Replacing a bad A/C clutch in a sedan is cheaper than waiting for it to ruin the compressor.
Philadelphia drivers need to be aware that there’s one more thing that isn’t directly related to air conditioning service, but does impact the quality of the air in your sedan. And that’s your cabin air filter. This filter cleans dust, pollen, pollution and other impurities in the air that comes from the heater and air conditioner. The cabin air filter needs to be replaced when it’s dirty. If you don’t it’ll start to smell. Not all vehicles have one, so ask your Wayne’s Garage service advisor to check your cabin air filter at the same time they’re doing your air conditioning service.
We service all makes and models, both foreign and domestic.
To see a complete list of services that we offer, visit our Services page.
Tags: Auto Repair Philadelphia, Oil Change Philadelphia, Tires Philadelphia, Transmission Philadelphia, Mechanic Philadelphia
