May 16, 2012

Busted In College Station: The Maintenance Free Myth

Filed under: Making Your Vehicle Last — aggiela662 @ 9:41 pm

Busted In College Station The Maintenance Free Myth

Quality surveys report fewer problems with new College Station cars than ever before. So does that mean that modern vehicles have become maintenance free?

Back when cars spent more time in College Station repair shops, TX drivers were more mindful of routine service. Now, it’s much easier to put it off.

Take College Station tune-ups for example. In the days of mechanical ignition systems, an engine needed to be tuned-up every couple of years. If your engine was out of tune, you knew it. It ran poorly and got bad fuel economy driving on TX streets and highways. Now, the ignition system is electronic and controlled by the engine management computer. Spark plugs rarely get fouled and will last for as much as a hundred thousand miles. So truck tune-ups used to force you in for service and while you were there you just took care of whatever else was on the list.

So what’s the benefit to keeping up with factory scheduled maintenance at Aggieland Automotive? Well, your truck will perform better and return better fuel economy. Those benefits pay for the service as you go along. The big plus is that major repairs – and the associated breakdowns – are prevented. And these aren’t just repairs that are a long ways off. Modern engines are far more sophisticated and have many parts that are in critical need of proper lubrication. Missing just one oil change at Aggieland Automotive can allow oil sludge to start forming. Sludge clogs small engine passages, robbing truck parts of the lubrication they need. An expensive failure could easily occur within two or three years.

Taking care of the little things at Aggieland Automotive prevents big problems with your truck later. No College Station motorist wants to be stranded by a breakdown. Your truck still needs to be taken care of – it’s just that some of those points of care have changed with automotive advancements. The need for proper maintenance at Aggieland Automotive in College Station did not go away.

Give us a call

Aggieland Automotive
979.693.1000
107 Brentwood Drive East
College Station, TX 77840

At Aggieland Automotive in College Station TX (77840) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 979.693.1000. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 8, 2012

Get The Right Tires And Wheels At Aggieland Automotive

Filed under: Tires — aggiela662 @ 5:51 pm

Get The Right Tires And Wheels At Aggieland Automotive

A lot of Iola drivers get custom wheels. When you do this yourself (over the internet . . .) you could run into trouble if you’re not careful. Sometimes, once they’re mounted, they just didn’t fit right. The tires rub in turns or on bumps. You don’t want that.

Consulting a tire professional at Aggieland Automotive can ensure you get the right fit. First he’ll ask you a series of questions about your driving needs in Iola and what you want in your new wheels.

At Aggieland Automotive, we advise Iola tire buyers that not every wheel can go on every car. Care must be taken so that tires and wheels are not too large or that the wheel is centered too far towards the outside or the inside so the tires rub.

If you don’t want to make any modifications to your truck, you need to focus on the wheels that fit. With trucks, some Iola people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Iola people don’t realize that you need to keep the rolling diameter of your new tires – that’s, like the overall height of the tire – very close to what came from the factory in order for your anti-lock brakes and stability control systems to work properly.

The truck’s computers that control these systems are calibrated to a certain size tire. When you go bigger or smaller, the computer doesn’t know what changes you made so it can’t tell how fast you’re going. This, of course, means it sends commands to the brakes and traction control that are based on the wrong speed. If you go with a different rolling diameter, your truck’s engine control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size. For information on reprogramming the engine computer, call us at 979.693.1000.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in Iola. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Aggieland Automotive tire professional about how big the wheel should be – and select the right tire to meet your style, performance, ride and handling needs.

At Aggieland Automotive in College Station TX (77840) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 979.693.1000. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 1, 2012

Viva la Differential At Aggieland Automotive

Filed under: Differential Service — aggiela662 @ 9:16 pm

Viva la Differential At Aggieland Automotive

With front-wheel drive being so common in College Station these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most College Station folks don’t even have to think about it. And most rear-wheel drive truck differentials don’t need to be serviced for many miles, so it’s understandable that it’s not something on the top of mind. So it’s not uncommon for TX people to not know they have a differential let alone know that it needs service.

To better understand what a differential does, think about a high school track. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes. That’s to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes. Staggering the starting lines means that each runner has the same distance to run.

The differential compensates for the difference in speeds on drive wheels between the inside wheel and the outside wheel in a turn, because they have to travel together through slightly different distances.

Many truck differentials do a lot of work and require very heavy duty parts. And those parts need protection. The differential fluid lubricates the gears in the differential and keeps them cool. The fluid eventually gets dirty and worn down. Some kinds of differentials require special additives that break down over time. So manufacturers and Aggieland Automotive technicians recommend intervals for replacing your differential fluid.

Your Aggieland Automotive service technician will drain the used fluid and check it out for metal bits, which could be a sign of excessive wear on the gears. He’ll then replace the fluid and install the additives if necessary.

College Station four wheel drive trucks need special attention to their differentials because they have a differential on both the front and rear axles that work at different times and sometimes under heavy loads – so they may need to be serviced at Aggieland Automotive at different intervals.

Your College Station service advisor can look up the manufacturer’s recommended service interval or you can check your truck owner’s manual.

Give us a call

Aggieland Automotive
979.693.1000
107 Brentwood Drive East
College Station, TX 77840

At Aggieland Automotive in College Station TX (77840) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 979.693.1000. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 27, 2012

Getting The Right Wheels And Tires At Aggieland Automotive In College Station

Filed under: Tires — aggiela662 @ 9:51 pm

Getting The Right Wheels And Tires At Aggieland Automotive In College Station

A lot of people in the Bryan area want custom wheels. When you do this yourself (over the internet . . .) you could run into trouble if you’re not careful. Sometimes they just don’t fit right: The tires rub in turns or over bumps. Consulting a tire professional at Aggieland Automotive in College Station can ensure you get the right fit for your truck. First he’ll ask you a series of questions about your driving needs and what you want in your new wheels.

Now, not every wheel can go on every vehicle. Care must be taken so that tires and wheels are not too large or that the wheel is centered too far towards the outside or the inside. If you don’t want to make any modifications to your truck, you would need to focus on a wheel and tire combination that would fit. With trucks, some College Station people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most College Station people don’t realize that you need to keep the rolling diameter of your new tires – that’s the overall height of the tire – very close to what came from the factory in order for your anti-lock brakes and stability control systems to work properly.

The truck computers that control these systems are calibrated to a certain size tire. When you go bigger or smaller, the computer doesn’t know what changes you made so it can’t tell how fast you’re going. This, of course, means it sends commands to the brakes and traction control that are based on the wrong sensor information. If you go with a different rolling diameter, your truck vehicle control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size. At Aggieland Automotive, we can give you information about control computer reprogramming.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in College Station. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your College Station tire professional about how big the wheel should be – and select the right tire to meet your style, performance, ride and handling needs – and the best way to do all this is to have your personable Aggieland Automotive tire specialist see your truck in person so mistakes are not made.

At Aggieland Automotive, we also offer air conditioning service and transmission service.

Give us a call

Aggieland Automotive
979.693.1000
107 Brentwood Drive East
College Station, TX 77840

At Aggieland Automotive in College Station TX (77840) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 979.693.1000. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 20, 2012

Cooling System Service At Aggieland Automotive

Filed under: Cooling System — aggiela662 @ 9:55 pm

Cooling System Service At Aggieland Automotive

Your truck cooling system’s job is to keep your engine cool. Coolant (also called antifreeze) mixed with water flows through your engine and absorbs heat. The mixture then flows out to the radiator where it’s cooled by air flowing over the radiator. From there the cooled mix circulates back through the truck engine to absorb more heat.

Coolant, or antifreeze, is specially formulated to keep your engine safe in a wide range of environmental and operating temperatures in College Station.

Without coolant, the truck’s metal engine parts would expand so much that the engine would seize up and stop running.  Expensive parts could be broken or warp so badly they would have to be replaced at Aggieland Automotive in College Station. It could even be so bad that the whole engine is ruined and has to be replaced.

Also, if it’s freezing outside in College Station, the water in your engine could freeze while your vehicle is sitting out in the TX cold. This is why you check coolant levels frequently and have your cooling system inspected for leaks. Also your manufacturer has a maintenance requirement for draining and replacing your coolant. These recommendations can vary widely, so check your College Station owner’s manual or ask your service advisor at Aggieland Automotive in College Station.

The reason you need to change the coolant is that it has additives in it to protect the cooling system. As you can imagine, with all the heat, the cooling system’s a pretty harsh environment. The additives keep the fluid from becoming corrosive and damaging the radiator and other College Station cooling system components. Over time, the additives are depleted and the coolant just has to be replaced. A simple pH test can measure the coolant’s acidity.

You may have noticed that there are different colors of antifreeze at Aggieland Automotive: it is very important that you use the correct type.  The different coolant types are different colors so you don’t mix them up.  Manufacturers use different materials to make the cooling system, and they require different types of antifreeze to protect them.

So check with your personable Aggieland Automotive service advisor or owner’s manual for the right kind because using the wrong coolant can void the warranty for your truck cooling system.

Ask us about power brake service, transmission service and brake service.

Give us a call

Aggieland Automotive
979.693.1000
107 Brentwood Drive East
College Station, TX 77840

At Aggieland Automotive in College Station TX (77840) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 979.693.1000. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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