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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In addition to just wearing out, Aggieland Automotive customers need to know that suspension components can be damaged in an accident or by a hard impact – like a pothole, hitting a curb or a rock in the road.

Because the life span of shocks can vary so widely, your truck manufacturer and Aggieland Automotive recommend periodic inspections. During an inspection, your Iola service technician will check for worn, broken or missing parts.

Signs that shocks or struts are wearing out: The tires may have a cupped wear pattern. This is from the shocks bouncing unevenly as you drive around Iola. You may notice a floaty or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your truck dives excessively when stopping, or rocks back and forth after you stopped, your shocks may be worn out. And if they are leaking fluid, it’s definitely time to replace them.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, come into Aggieland Automotive for a suspension inspection. Same if you’ve been in an accident that involved one of your wheels. Worn or broken shocks can cause premature wear or failure on other truck suspension parts such as ball joints and other steering components as well. If your suspension actually fails, it could lead to a serious accident, so let us take care of your suspension components at Aggieland Automotive.

When you replace your shocks, it’s usually a good idea to replace all four at the same time. That’ll give you more even handling. Talk with your service advisor at Aggieland Automotive because you don’t want a big difference between the performance of your shocks from wheel to wheel, and replacing all may be the safest bet.

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.

Let’s focus on stopping in wet College Station conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can’t move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water.

That’s called hydroplaning. At Aggieland Automotive we want our customers to know that if it’s really bad, you can actually spin out of control. At best, you won’t stop as fast.

So how does a tire move water? It has channels for water to flow through. Look at a tire and you’ll see channels: channels that run around the tire and channels that flow across the tire. They’re designed to direct water away from the tire so it can contact the road better.

And the deeper the channel, the more water it can move. A brand new tire has very deep channels and can easily move a lot of water. As the tire wears down, the channels become shallower and can move less water. When it wears down enough, it can seriously affect your ability to stop on wet College Station roads.

So that’s why it’s so important for College Station drivers to replace the tires on their trucks when they get worn. Consumer Reports and other advocate groups call for a standard of 3/32 of an inch and they have the studies to prove it.

By comparison, you’ve probably seen the wear indicator that’s molded into tires. When tires are worn 3/32 of an inch, the tread wear bar is visible. So the recommended standard has twice the tread depth as a completely worn out tire.

And that little bit of additional tread makes a big difference. Stopping distances are cut dramatically on wet roads. A safe stop from TX freeway speeds with 4/32 of an inch of tread would result in a crash with worn out tires.

There’s an easy way to tell when a tire’s worn to 4/32 of an inch. Just insert a quarter into the tread. Put it in upside down. If the tread doesn’t cover George Washington’s hairline, it’s time to replace your tires. With a Canadian quarter, the tread should cover the numbers in the year stamp.

You’ve probably heard of this technique using a penny and Abe Lincoln’s head. That measure gives you 2/32 of an inch – half the suggested amount.

Of course, tires are a big ticket item for College Station car owners. Most of us want to get as many miles out of them as we can. But there’s a real safety trade-off. It’s your choice.

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.

First, the serpentine belt drives your air conditioning system. Next, the belt powers the alternator.

The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering and power brakes. In some trucks, power steering may have an electric drive and power brakes can be vacuum driven.

And, on many vehicles, the serpentine belt powers the water pump (on some cars, the water pump is powered by the timing belt).

Your Aggieland Automotive service technician can perform a visual inspection of the belt to see if it has any cracks that signal the belt could fail soon and will measure the amount of belt material to make sure there is enough.

College Station drivers should be aware that there’s a special, spring loaded pulley attached to the engine called the tensioner pulley and sometimes an extra pulley call the idler pulley. Their job is to make sure there’s a constant tension on the serpentine belt so that it doesn’t slip. The spring can become worn and no longer provide the necessary pressure to keep the belt tight. That’s why it’s often recommended that the tensioner, and the idler pulley if so equipped, be replaced at the same time as the serpentine belt.

All in all, the serpentine belt’s an important part for the function of your truck. And it’s not that expensive to replace at Aggieland Automotive – so it’s good to do so before it fails.

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.

The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil. When the truck engine’s running, fuel is burned to generate power. Most of the exhaust from combustion goes out through the exhaust system. But some exhaust blows by the pistons and goes into the lower engine, or crankcase.

These hot gases are about seventy percent unburned fuel. This can dilute and contaminate the oil, leading to damaging engine oil sludge. It can also cause engine corrosion in your truck. At high speeds, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak.

Anderson car owners need to know that over time, the vented gases will gum up the PCV valve and it won’t work well. That can lead to all of the problems I’ve already described, oil leaks, excessive oil consumption and wasted gas.

Fortunately, it’s very easy to test the PCV valve and quick and inexpensive to replace it at Aggieland Automotive. Even so, it’s often overlooked because many Anderson drivers don’t know about it.

Check your truck owner’s manual or ask your Aggieland Automotive advisor. If this is the first time you’ve heard of a PCV valve, you might be in line for a PCV valve replacement.

Please ask us about your PCV valve. For the price of a couple of burger combo meals, you can avoid some very expensive deep engine repairs.

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.

Now when you hear “severe service”, you may think it doesn’t apply to you because you don’t feel your driving conditions are severe or extreme – it’s just normal everyday driving around Bryan. At Aggieland Automotive, we discuss the conditions that manufacturers classify as severe so that you can make the judgment on your own driving.

• Most trips are less than four miles
• Most trips are less than ten miles and outside temperatures are below freezing in Bryan
• You drive in very hot TX weather
• Driving at low speed most of the time (under 55 mph)
• Stop and go driving
• Operating your vehicle in dusty, polluted or muddy conditions
• You tow a trailer, regularly carry heavy loads or carry a car-top carrier on your truck

Most Bryan drivers operate under severe driving conditions at least some of the time. How do you know which schedule to follow for your truck?

Carefully think about your driving conditions and decide if you should do your preventive maintenance closer to the severe service recommendation or the regular recommendation. Of course, your Aggieland Automotive advisor can help you with your decision.

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.