Car Care Tips
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I CHANGE MY OIL:
Your oil should be changed every 3,000 miles or 3 months with standard grade oil and 5 months and 5,000 miles for synthetic oil. Oil change intervals have of lately become a source of confusion for consumers. Manufacturers tend to extend oil change intervals to 12 or 15 thousand miles, TV commercials tout longer intervals. While it is true oil lasts longer, contaminants still exist in oil and are filtered by the oil filter. Changing your oil at 12,000 miles includes a filter working for 12,000 miles. If you do a little research on the Internet you will find Mercedes Benz, BMW, General Motors and Toyota engines among others with sludge problems, diagnosed by the manufacturers as inadequate oil change intervals. We have found Mini to have this issue quite frequently. Oil changes are the cheapest insurance for your engine, the price of a replacement variable valve timing or aluminum engine is wallet boggling.
DO I HAVE TO GO TO THE DEALER FOR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS?
No, the Motor Vehicle Owner's Right to Repair Act of 2005 requires the factory to honor your warranty as long as you have the appropriate maintenance done. Lindberg Auto can help make sure your vehicle is up to date on your maintenance schedule. We keep documentation of your maintenance and repairs. We promise to save you money over bringing your car to the dealer. Sometimes, we may come across an issue that we feel the factory should repair for you at no cost. If we find this, we will give you documentation and help stand behind you to get the repair you deserve and at no cost to you.
TIRE SPEED RATINGS:
Tire speed rating, load range DOT numbers and the ever popular news program item when was my tire manufactured. This information can be confusing to the average consumer. The rule of thumb with tire is to look at the tire placard on your vehicles driver door or driver frame area, this will list the tire that came on the car. Very important, you may not lower the listed speed ratingof the tire for your vehicle. For example your car came equipped with a H rated tire you can not install a T rated tire. The higher the speed resting the more expensive the tire is. It is common for tire stores to sell on price with little regard to speed and load ratings. There is a reason you have a speed rated or load rated tire on your car, the manufacturer designed your suspension and brakes to work with a particular tire. After designing the car they accept bids from tire manufacturers for that specification. To not take up a large amount of space I have included a link to a external page that can provide more in-depth details regarding your tires and specifications.
WHY SHOULD BRAKE FLUID BE FLUSHED:
Your oil should be changed every 3,000 miles or 3 months with standard grade oil and 5 months and 5,000 miles for synthetic oil. Oil change intervals have of lately become a source of confusion for consumers. Manufacturers tend to extend oil change intervals to 12 or 15 thousand miles, TV commercials tout longer intervals. While it is true oil lasts longer, contaminants still exist in oil and are filtered by the oil filter. Changing your oil at 12,000 miles includes a filter working for 12,000 miles. If you do a little research on the Internet you will find Mercedes Benz, BMW, General Motors and Toyota engines among others with sludge problems, diagnosed by the manufacturers as inadequate oil change intervals. Oil changes are the cheapest insurance for your engine, the price of a replacement variable valve timing or aluminum engine is wallet boggling.
WHY IS SERVICING OR REPLACING MY BATTERY SO IMPORTANT:
Due to the high electrical demands of todays cars battery voltage and endurance is more important than ever. On many cars the output of the alternator can not keep up with electrical demands and charge the battery properly . A fully charged battery should have a voltage of 12.65 or higher. When the voltage of the battery reaches 10 volts or less a no start can occur or electrical devices will stop functioning. The average battery is good for about 4 to 5 years with degradation occurring more rapidly after that time. Many manufacturers are requiring battery replacement at a time limit whether the battery is good or not as low voltage or jumping your car from another car can damage sensitive electronic devices. if your battery is approaching 4 years have it checked or replaced.