May 15, 2012

Getting The Right Wheels And Tires At Summers Auto Repair In Fort Collins

Filed under: Tires — summers818 @ 6:07 pm

Getting The Right Wheels And Tires At Summers Auto Repair In Fort Collins

A lot of people in the Fort Collins 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 Summers Auto Repair in Fort Collins can ensure you get the right fit for your family car. 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 family car, you would need to focus on a wheel and tire combination that would fit. With trucks, some Fort Collins people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Fort Collins 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 family car 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 family car vehicle control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size. At Summers Auto Repair, we can give you information about control computer reprogramming.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in Fort Collins. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Fort Collins 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 knowledgeable Summers Auto Repair tire specialist see your family car in person so mistakes are not made.

At Summers Auto Repair, we also offer battery service and power brake service.

Give us a call

Summers Auto Repair
970.482.3777
1405 East Lincoln Ave
Fort Collins, CO 80524

At Summers Auto Repair in Fort Collins CO (80524) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 970.482.3777. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Share

May 11, 2012

Transmission Service: Smooth Shifting In Laporte

Filed under: Transmission — summers818 @ 8:43 pm

Transmission Service Smooth Shifting In Laporte

Let’s suppose you’re going to take some friends out on the boat for some water skiing on a beautiful Laporte area lake. Of course, you get the boat ready, but what about your tow vehicle?

Think about it – heavy Laporte traffic, hilly CO terrain. Maybe some dirt roads – and it’s going to be pretty hot. And all the time you’ll be towing several thousand extra pounds around Laporte roads. That all adds up a lot of severe strain on your transmission. It’s going to be working overtime, spending more time in lower gears. The internal transmission temperature is going to be much higher than normal.

Laporte drivers need to make sure they have enough transmission fluid. If it runs low, the transmission will run hotter and won’t have the protection it needs to cope with the added stress of towing. Transmission fluid breaks down and gets dirty over time. Whether your family car has an automatic or manual transmission, you need to have it serviced on schedule at Summers Auto Repair to make sure it runs efficiently.

Neglect your family car transmission for too long, and it can fail. You really don’t want to pay for a major transmission repair even with the reasonable rates at Summers Auto Repair.

Before you leave your Laporte home and head to the lake, bring your vehicle in to Summers Auto Repair for a trip inspection. Your Summers Auto Repair service technician will check your fluids, belts and hoses and let you know if your brakes are in good shape. Now, don’t forget the sunscreen.

At Summers Auto Repair in Fort Collins CO (80524) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 970.482.3777. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Share

May 1, 2012

PCV Valve Replacement At Summers Auto Repair

Filed under: PCV Valve — summers818 @ 8:38 pm

Today’s Laporte car care article focuses on PCV valve replacement. The PCV valve is a little, inexpensive part that does a big job for your family car. PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation.

The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil. When the family car 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 family car. PCV Valve Replacement At Summers Auto RepairAt high speeds, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak.

Laporte 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 Summers Auto Repair. Even so, it’s often overlooked because many Laporte drivers don’t know about it.

Check your family car owner’s manual or ask your Summers Auto Repair 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 Summers Auto Repair in Fort Collins CO (80524) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 970.482.3777. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Share

April 25, 2012

Severe Driving In Fort Collins

Filed under: Severe Service — summers818 @ 6:16 pm

Most Fort Collins motorists know that their owner’s manuals have schedules for preventive maintenance. Things like oil changes, transmission service and so on. They say you should change your oil every so many miles or after so many months. Fort Collins people understand this very well. Severe Driving In Fort CollinsWhat they may not know is that there are actually two service schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. The mileage and time intervals are lower on the severe service schedule.

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 Fort Collins. At Summers Auto Repair, 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 Fort Collins
  • You drive in very hot CO 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 family car

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

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 Summers Auto Repair advisor can help you with your decision.

At Summers Auto Repair in Fort Collins CO (80524) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 970.482.3777. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Share

April 18, 2012

Why Is My Check Engine Light On? Summers Auto Repair Has Answers

Filed under: Check Engine Light — summers818 @ 9:35 pm

Why Is My Check Engine Light On Summers Auto Repair Has Answers

The Check Engine Light strikes fear into the hearts of some Fort Collins drivers and is totally ignored by just as many. Just what it means is a mystery to most of us in CO.

First, if your family car check engine light is flashing, that means that something is wrong that could cause severe damage to the catalytic converter or other components. Get that taken care of right away. If your check engine light is flashing, you shouldn’t drive at Fort Collins highway speeds, tow or haul heavy loads. Take it easy all the way to Summers Auto Repair in Fort Collins.

If the light is glowing steadily, you should keep an eye on it for a day or two. If the light doesn’t go off, schedule an appointment with your Fort Collins service advisor to get it checked out.

Some more information from Summers Auto Repair on how the Check Engine Light works may be informative. Most of your family car engine functions are controlled by a computer, not surprisingly, called an engine control computer. The computer is able to adjust many engine parameters for environmental conditions, engine condition and even the way you drive in Fort Collins.

In order to make these adjustments, the family car computer relies on a network of sensors to provide data. The computer knows the proper operating range for each sensor. When a sensor reading is out of range the computer runs some tests and may turn on the Check Engine Light.

The family car computer will also try to make adjustments to compensate for some readings. If it can do so, it’ll then turn off the Check Engine Light.

If the problem can’t be resolved then the light will remain on and you should get your family car looked at at Summers Auto Repair. Your knowledgeable service technician will plug a scanner into the on-board diagnostic port and read the trouble code stored in the computer. The trouble code will give your Summers Auto Repair technician a starting place as he diagnoses the cause of the problem.

At Summers Auto Repair, we also offer battery service and power brake service.

Give us a call

Summers Auto Repair
970.482.3777
1405 East Lincoln Ave
Fort Collins, CO 80524

At Summers Auto Repair in Fort Collins CO (80524) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 970.482.3777. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

Share
Next Articles »