News

Car maintenance is a critical step to ensure your vehicle performs well on the road. Technology has changed and so has how we take care of vehicles, especially tune-ups. Years ago, you needed to get a tune up every 20,000 miles, but that’s changed. Depending on your manufacturer, it may be recommended that you get one anywhere between 50,000 to 100,000 miles. Check your owner’s manual, or come in to FTS Automotive Center and we can let you know the recommendations for your vehicle.

Now a word of caution: Yuma is hot. Heat does bad things to vehicles. You likely need a tune-up before your manufacturer recommendation. We are dusty, gritty and hot. Every component in your car has to work harder. Take spark plugs and wires, for example. If the manufacturer says in extreme conditions change spark plugs at 100K you should inspect at 80K. The more worn a sparkplug is the more energy required for it to work. Heat causes ignition components to create additional internal resistance. In other words, they have to work harder making them deteriorate faster. The more worn a sparkplug is the harder these components have to work. Compound that with additional heat over a period of years look forward to having ignition component failure.

In the end getting a routine tune-up earlier than the manufacturer’s recommendations will extend the life of your vehicle and in the end, save you money. Wear-and-tear is expected to happen to all vehicles, but taking preventative measures can likely increase the performance of the vehicle and help keep major issues from happening.

Services in a vehicle tune –up

1. Air Filter – the air filter needs to be clean in Yuma. Fine dust particles can start plugging up the filter leading to a host of problems. If it’s dirty or clogged, it needs to be replaced. The more restrictive the filter is the more gas you’re going to use.

2. Belts and hoses – it used to be very common to have to replace belts and hoses every three years of so. But cars are better now. So good in fact many cars never get them changed till the car is worn out. But then again, this is Yuma. Rubber components, belts, and hoses break down much faster. There is no scheduled maintenance for replacing these items but they have a way of talking to trained techs. They look for things like weeping around the ends of hoses, swelling, small cracks etc. Hoses transfer vital fluids through the engine and if these were to break and leak it could cause a significant issue. Fan belts and serpentine belts have tell-tale signs like squeaking and squealing, cracks, etc. Our techs will check these and change them if need be.

3. Fluids – power steering, brake, and transmission fluids will be inspected; if the fluids are low, they are topped off. Some car manufactures have recommended change intervals for fluids. Some don’t. But this we do know. All fluids will break down due to heat and use. All fluids can be tested, and our techs will make sure that your fluids are clean and at recommended levels.

4. Wheel alignments – aligning your tires should make for a much more controlled ride. Why do your wheels need realignment? Loads and many other factors can have an effect on how often the vehicle chassis alignment should be checked. As a rule, the newer the vehicle the closer one needs to keep an eye uneven tire wear. As a new car suspension settles and the moving components wear in the alignment will change. Vehicles with a lot of miles face a different issue. As the suspension components wear they start to get loose. As they get loose they start to wear much faster causing tires to wear out faster. In the end, have your tires rotated about twice a year or every 5,000 by someone who knows what to look for. It can save you a tremendous amount of money and worry in the long run.

5. Oil changes –The 3000 mile oil change interval no longer applies. So much has changed. With so many types of oil on the market and much better and complicated engines, don’t guess what oil your car needs. At FTS Automotive Center, we do changes based on the manufacture recommendation for both type of oil and interval.

For all your vehicle tune-up needs, call FTS Automotive Center at (928) 343-9430!