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.

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.

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. At 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.

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.

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.

There are plenty of people in Fort Collins whose vehicles are running after 150,000 or 200,000 miles. We can learn from what they’re doing to keep our own cars on the road.

A common denominator is that they never skip an oil change. That may sound a bit unsophisticated, but it’s really not. First off, oil is the life blood of your engine and it needs to be clean to properly lubricate. Skipping oil changes leads to clogged oil filters and sludge that can damage your engine. Enough said.

There’s another reason why the scheduled oil change is so important. It’s simple – a Summers Auto Repair professional is going to be looking at your car. All of your fluid levels will be inspected and topped off so they won’t get so low that damage can be done. If there is a significant fluid loss, let’s use brake fluid as an example, your Fort Collins technician can look for the cause of the loss and find the problem before it leads to an accident or costly repair.

Your Fort Collins service technician will also visually inspect the vehicle for worn belts and hoses, uneven tire wear, leaking shock absorbers and more. Problems get addressed before they lead to repairs that cost more than the car’s worth. And your Fort Collins service advisor will be able to remind you of other services that the factory recommends you get done.

Just think of that oil change the same way as you do about going to the dentist for your six month cleaning and checkup. Don’t skip it.

Of course, good maintenance costs money, but it’s far cheaper than new car payments.

Give us a call to schedule your next oil change today. You can find us online at Summers Auto Repair, or you can find us in Fort Collins, CO 80524 at 1405 East Lincoln Ave. Or simply give us a call at 970.482.3777.

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.

Automatic transmissions have gotten more sophisticated in recent years for Fort Collins car owners. Take the number of gears for starters: The base is four speeds, five is very common. Many manufacturers are using six speeds and several have seven or even eight speeds. As you can imagine, this means more parts in your family car’s transmission.

Today’s transmissions are computer controlled. Some high end transmissions have two or three computers. Our experienced technicians at Summers Auto Repair in Fort Collins receive ongoing training on transmission service and repair.

Laporte, Timnath, and Wellington car owners trust that transmissions are engineered to last. But CO motorists need to understand that they are also engineered to tighter tolerances. If a portion of the transmission is starved for lubrication, it can lead to failure.

This can happen with not enough fluid. And, if the transmission fluid gets dirty or sludgy, small passages in the transmission can get clogged, then the lubricant is blocked and can’t get to all the parts to protect them, so they wear out prematurely.

Most newer vehicles in Fort Collins, Timnath, and Wellington require special transmission fluids – at Summers Auto Repair we can make sure you get the type your manufacturer recommends.

As you can imagine, repairing one of these new transmissions can be quite costly at most Fort Collins auto repair shops. That’s why manufacturers have a schedule for how often Fort Collins drivers should change the fluid and what type of fluid to use.

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.

Today’s Summers Auto Repair article focuses on the effect of tire tread depth on braking. When Fort Collins and Laporte drivers talk about stopping power, they tend to focus on their brakes. But our tires are where the rubber meets the road. We have to have tires with enough traction to translate braking power into stopping power.

Let’s concentrate on stopping in wet Fort Collins 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 and it is a factor in many CO auto accidents. If it’s really bad, you can actually spin out of control. At best, you won’t stop as fast.

Your family car tires have channels for water to flow through. 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 CO roads.

That’s why it’s so important for Fort Collins and Wellington motorists to replace their tires when they get worn. Consumer Reports and other advocate groups call for a standard of replacing tires when the tread is worn down to 4/32 of an inch. That’s 3.2 millimeters. By comparison, you’ve probably seen the wear indicator that’s molded into tires. When tires are worn to 3/32 of an inch, the tread wear bar is visible.

And that little bit of additional tread makes a big difference. Stopping distances are cut dramatically on wet Fort Collins surface streets and Laporte highways. A safe stop from CO 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. And if you have uneven tread wear – have us check it out at Summers Auto Repair. It could be a problem with your steering or suspension components or a wheel alignment problem. If you need new tires or have any concerns about your brakes, give us a call today at 970.482.3777.

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.

In addition to just wearing out, Summers Auto Repair 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 family car manufacturer and Summers Auto Repair recommend periodic inspections. During an inspection, your Wellington 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 Wellington. You may notice a floaty or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your family car 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 Summers Auto Repair 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 family car 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 Summers Auto Repair.

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 Summers Auto Repair 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 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.

In the automotive world, Fort Collins industry associations and CO professional licensing organizations are very committed to high ethical standards.

Yet some people are still uncomfortable with automotive service and repair in Fort Collins.

If we understand what’s recommended and the benefits of taking care of the work – and the pitfalls of putting it off – we’ll have more trust in the recommendation. So communication is key. It’s like going to the doctor. If she’s using medical jargon and takes a lot of basic medical knowledge for granted, we have a hard time following her train of thought. We understand It can be like that with your service advisor at Summers Auto Repair, too. He’s so familiar with all things automotive, he may forget you don’t know a PCV from an EGT.

If you don’t understand what your doctor’s talking about: ask some questions. If you don’t understand what your Fort Collins automotive advisor at Summers Auto Repair is talking about: ask some questions.

Let’s go back to those ethical standards. When we hear a repair recommendation, we always ask ourselves, “Is this really necessary?” Well, here’s the industry standard:

If a Fort Collins auto technician tells you that a repair or replacement is required, it must meet one of the following criteria:

1. The part no longer performs its intended purpose;
2. The part does not meet a design specification;
3. The part is missing.

For example, it you take your car in for a grinding noise when you step on the brakes, you may just think you need new brake pads. After the inspection, the technician says that you have a cracked rotor and need to replace it. If you tried to get him to just put new pads on, he would say that if you didn’t want to replace the rotor, he would ethically have to refuse the repair. To just put pads on a cracked rotor would have been very wrong. The brakes could’ve failed at anytime: they needed to be repaired – not just have a band-aid slapped on them.

Now, looking at something not so serious, Summers Auto Repair may suggest repair or replacement if:

1. The part is close to the end of its useful life – just above discard specifications or likely to fail soon;
2. To address a customer need or request – like for better ride or increased performance;
3. To comply with maintenance recommended by the vehicle’s manufacturer;
4. Based on the technician’s informed experience.

Of course, Summers Auto Repair has the burden of making ethical recommendations and properly educating their customers. For the customer, if you are uncomfortable with a recommendation, ask some questions. More information is always a good thing.

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.