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Brake Fluid
Brake fluid is a hydraulic fluid that gives your brakes the pressure
and power they need to stop your vehicle. As such, it’s a very
important car fluid. As brake fluid ages, it collects moisture and
needs to be replaced when its moisture content gets too high.
However, this happens very slowly, so brake fluid only needs to be
replaced about once every one or two years. If brake fluid ever gets
low, this almost always indicates a problem with the vehicle. If you
bring your vehicle to our Service Center, we
can diagnose and fix the problem to get your brakes working again.
Coolant
(Anti-freeze)
 The parts under the hood of your vehicle can get extremely hot –
well over 300 degrees in some cases. If the heat isn’t controlled,
it can cause serious damage. That’s where this car fluid comes in.
Although auto engines are considered “water-cooled” engines, plain
water is insufficient and can damage a vehicle over time. Automotive
coolant is water with several additives to keep it from harming the
vehicle. For example, unlike plain water, coolant uses additives to
have a very low freezing point and very high boiling point, which
keeps ice and steam from damaging the system. Coolant also has
corrosion inhibitors and lubricant for the coolant pump added in as
well. Ask us if it's time for your
cooling system fluids to be flushed and replaced.
Motor Oil
This is the car fluid you hear the most about. Motor oil is like the
life-blood of your engine – it lubricates, protects, and even cools
the engine. As such, following a healthy oil changing schedule is an
important part of car maintenance. As oil is used by the vehicle, it
begins to break down and collect soot and other particles from
engine combustion. These particles rub over the engine parts and
cause wear and tear. An oil filter prevents most of this damage.
However, as the filter fills with dirt and sludge from the oil, it
becomes less effective. This is why you should change your oil and
oil filter after 3,000 or so miles. You can learn more about oil and
oil changes by visiting the oil changing
section on this website.
Power Steering Fluid
Like brake fluid, power steering fluid is part of a hydraulics
system. It gives you power to turn the wheel of the vehicle easily. As
seals and other internal parts begin to wear out, Power Steering
fluid can
get contaminated with dust, moisture and metal particles. This can cause a costly repair
of the power steering pump if the fluid is not flushed or replaced.
If you feel changes in the way your vehicle turns, or if you hear
any new strange noises when turning, bring it in to our Service
Center to
see if it needs any of our steering and suspension services.
WHY SHOULD YOU FLUSH AND REFILL YOUR VEHICLE'S ENGINE
COOLING SYSTEM?
Neglecting your vehicle's cooling system can and will lead to a
progressive failure of engine components such as water pumps,
internal engine gaskets, freeze plugs and aluminum parts
deterioration. Also heater core and radiator leaks can occur. These
failures can be costly to repair and can result in being stranded!!!
You see, after about 2 years the lubricants and additives in the
antifreeze start to loose their effectiveness due to constant
changes in engine temperature and electrical forces. A chemical
reaction between engine coolant flowing over different metals within
the engine cooling system and antifreeze will begin to react with
the electricity from the numerous electrical components. This
reciting will force a change in the pH balance of the coolant and
turns it into an acidic state which in turn corrodes the engine
metals and cooling system components which causes premature parts
failures, gasket leaks and costly repairs.
By having us perform a COOLING SYSTEM
FLUSH AND REFILL on your vehicle you can SAVE MONEY, the engine will
RUN COOLER, and you'll have a MORE DEPENDABLE , SAFER vehicle.
Fuel Filter
A SERVICE ASSISTANT ARTICLE
Hello Englewood Florida resident, let's talk fuel filters. The
function of the fuel filter is pretty self-explanatory. It filters
your fuel. The fuel filter is in the fuel line somewhere in between
the fuel tank and the engine. Both gas and diesel vehicles use fuel
filters.
Generally speaking there's not a lot of dirt in the fuel supply, but
there is enough that Englewood drivers want to screen it out. The
problem actually gets worse the older your vehicle becomes. That's
because dirt, rust and contaminates will settle out of the fuel and
onto the bottom of the fuel tank. After a car is five years or
older, it can actually have a fair amount of sediment built up.
That just means that the fuel filter has to work harder as your
vehicle ages. It'll get clogged sooner and need to be replaced more
often.
A symptom of a clogged fuel filter is that the engine sputters at
Florida highway speeds or under hard acceleration. That's because
enough fuel is getting through around Englewood, but when you need
more fuel for speed, enough just can't get through the filter.
Obviously, that could be dangerous if your car or truck can't get
enough power to get you out of harm's way on a busy Englewood
freeway.
For just that reason, fuel filters have a bypass valve. When the
filter is severely clogged, some fuel can bypass the filter all
together. Of course that means that dirty, unfiltered fuel is
getting through to be burned in the vehicle engine.
This dirt can then clog and damage your fuel injectors. Now
injectors are not cheap to replace in Englewood, so you don't want
to cause them damage just because you didn't spend a few bucks to
replace a fuel filter.
You know, in a way, the fuel filter can be the poster child for
preventive maintenance. It's a little part, it's simple and it's
cheap to take care of at Xpertech Auto Repair Inc. in Englewood
Florida. But if it's neglected, it could lead to thousands of
dollars of repair bills.
Give us a call.
Xpertech Auto Repair Inc.
101 N McCall Rd., Englewood, Florida 34223
941-474-3793
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Your
vehicle's engine generates a lot of heat. That heat can be
beneficial because it warms up the engine to operating temperature
and warms the oil so that it can circulate easily to lubricate vital
engine parts. At the same time, if the heating system is not kept
under control the engine can overheat and be severely damaged. If
you notice that your vehicle is beginning to overheat, it's very
important to have the heating and cooling systems checked as soon as
possible to help avoid some of the worst engine damage and repairs.