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Tire Factory

Preventive Maintenance

Preventive Maintenance is very important to preserving the life of your vehicle, making best use of its performance value, and to maintain proper safety features. At Tire Factory we will be able to perform regular maintenance and inspection to help you to take the proper steps of preventive maintenance. Below is a list of things to have us regularly perform to prevent future failure in your vehicle, and also some tips on how you may prevent costly repairs yourself.

Checking your fluid levels – At Tire Factory we are more than happy to check the fluid levels of your car for you at no charge, simply bring your vehicle by and our technicians will assist you. However, below are some ways you can perform the checks yourself.

• Brake Fluid – You can check this level by first, removing the lid on the master cylinder. Depending on your vehicle you may first need to loosen the clips on the master cylinder. If your vehicle needs fluid, consult your owner’s manual for the correct type of brake fluid for your vehicle before filling to the suggested level.
• Transmission/Transaxle Fluid – First make sure your vehicle’s engine is running in neutral and the parking brake is set. Next make sure the vehicle has had time to warm up to its normal operating temperature. This should only take a few minutes. Remove the transmission fluid dipstick, wipe it clean, reinsert then remove it again to check the level of the fluid. WARNING: It is VERY important to not overfill! We recommend only adding half a quart at a time before re-checking the level.

Overfilling your Transmission Fluid can force the fluid to leak past the transmission seals. It also may cause the fluid to foam which can lead to irregular shifting in your vehicle and even transmission damage.

• Engine Oil – Engine oil is essential for increasing the longevity of your engine. It lubricates the components, reducing the wear and tear from friction. An ideal time to check your oil is when the car has been resting for a while with a cooled down engine. Remove the engine oil dipstick, wipe it clean, reinsert the dipstick completely then remove it again to check the level of the fluid. Only add oil when the dipstick shows the level is at or below the ADD OIL level.

Most people use the rule of thumb of having their oil changed every 3,000 miles. As you may have noticed from your owner’s manual, your vehicle can go much longer before it needs an oil change. However, the average driver drives about 12,000 miles a year, which would mean that is 4 oil changes a year. The benefit of this is routine maintenance. You should be having your car checked this often to make sure you are driving the safest vehicle possible.

• Windshield Washer Fluid – Locate the washer fluid reservoir, remove the cap, and refill with washer fluid solvent.
• Antifreeze – Make sure the engine is cooled! Check the level of antifreeze by removing the radiator cap and refill with antifreeze, if needed.

Brake Inspection – Always make sure your brakes are in proper working order to provide maximized safety for you while driving your vehicle. The owner’s manual usually has direction on how often to have your brakes inspected. To make sure you have the best brake performance possible, visit us at Tire Factory and let us complete our braking inspection and service to ensure your brakes are in the best working order.

Tire Care – A major part of preventive maintenance is keeping your tires in the best condition possible. At Tire Factory we pride ourselves in our tire care, as it is our specialty. Allow our technicians to help you with tire care to guarantee proper preventive tire care maintenance. Some things to consider for regular tire care:

• Tire Rotation – Have your tires rotated every 5,000 miles at least. A good time to have this service done is at your oil change intervals. Proper rotation will prevent unusual wear on the tires.
• Tire Inspection – Occasionally examine the wear on your tires, if it seems unusual or favoring a specific portion of the tire it may be a sign of misalignment or the need for a rotation.
• Tire Pressure – Regularly check the tire pressure of each tire, including the spare. This is especially important in cold weather. Do this after the car has been resting a while and the tires are completely cooled down. Or simply stop by Tire Factory and we will check and adjust your tire pressure for you at no charge!

Belts & Hoses – Check often the conditions of the belts and hoses in your engine for cracks, deterioration, or other forms of wear. Checking the belts and hoses often will prevent a break down at an inconvenient time due to belt or hose failure. Stop by and have us properly inspect them ourselves.

Air Conditioning – Don’t wait until it is blistering hot outside to have you’re A/C fixed. This hot weather can cause the whole A/C system to fail if not properly cared for. Make sure to check out our Air Conditioning service.

Cooling System – Probably the biggest cause of summer breakdown in your vehicle is due to a cooling system that is working improperly. Maintain the working condition of this system to avoid these more expensive problems. Our cooling system service will take care of this portion of preventive maintenance.

Battery Care – Bring your battery in regularly for inspection. Our professionally equipment will be able to detect a weak battery. If it 3 years old or older, you need to replace it. Keep the battery connections clean at all times. If you have a removable battery cap, regularly make sure your battery has the proper fluid level.

Lights – Check the lights on your vehicle often. If a bulb burns out, replace it right away. If that doesn’t fix the problem, bring your vehicle into us and let us inspect your electrical system to fix it. It is very important you have the best vision possible during night driving. Also make sure to keep the bulb covers wiped clean to not block the light.

Windshield Wipers – Old wipers can actually make the vision conditions worse during rain or snow. This is why it is so important you always inspect and replace your wipers before you get caught in this situation.

You can obviously see the benefits of preventive maintenance. If you have any questions or would like assistance in performing preventive maintenance for your vehicle, come see us at Tire Factory today.