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So you're sitting at a stoplight, it turns green, you push the accelerator pedal and it sticks for a second before it goes. Then it lurches and you feel like a teenage driver all over again. Or, you try to start your car and it won't start or stay running unless you keep your foot on the accelerator. These are all possible symptoms of a sticking throttle body. A simple cleaning of this can sometimes be all it takes to solve the problem.
When it comes to throttle body cleaning, we recommend and use the Intake Snake cleaning system from Run-Rite. Here's how it works:
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We recently had the pleasure of performing services on a Class A motorhome and an International all in the same week. In both cases, the customers weren't sure that we do that. Good news! We do that too!
Up until now, we haven't made much mention of it for a couple reasons. First, a lot of customers tend to feel that this is all a company does if they feature large vehicles. Also, we want to make the largest majority of our customer base the average consumer. We know that the number of vehicles on the road by private individuals greatly outnumbers the large vehicle or fleet industry. The upside to doing large vehicles is that the owners tend to understand that they HAVE to pay for maintenance to reduce repair costs. In that, they usually spend a lot more than the average consumer. RV's, motorhomes and diesel trucks require a lot of oil to keep things running smoothly. No matter what, we want to take good care of our customer. So whether it's a compact car or a motorhome, Mobile Service Pros has you covered! How's that for a catchy article title? I was debating on using that or "Be sure to lube your rear end" and decided to stick with the former rather than the latter. In this case, we'll stick to discussing your vehicle rear end. What you do with yours is your business.
The rear end of rear wheel drive vehicles and four wheel drive vehicles has an assembly called a differential. The differential is designed to allow the power from the engine to be transferred through the rear wheels. The driveshaft goes straight back into the differential and the rear wheel axles come in from the sides. The housing is filled with a special gear oil. So I'm driving down the road the other day, and I smell this sweet smell coming through my vents. My wife says, "Hey, I think I smell pancake syrup!" Unfortunately, I suspected something far less delicious. We reached our destination, and as soon as we stopped, steam came rolling out from under the hood. I opened the hood and saw that coolant had sprayed everywhere from some unknown source. At this point, frustrated as I am, I do a mental checklist. It goes like this:
Well, we survived the winter! The snow is gone and the icy roads with it. For a little while, we were able to relax and enjoy some nice spring weather. Now comes the heat. If your car stops blowing cold air, it can lead to a very uncomfortable ride.
Air conditioning systems are sealed from the factory, so loosing freon is a sign of a leak. The question is, small or large leak? With a small leak, a system can be charged and keep working for most of the summer season. A large leak won't hold. Since freon is odorless and colorless, there's no way to see a leak without the aid of special tools. Also, while the system is empty, a vacuum test can be performed. If the system holds a vacuum for at least 10 minutes, then it's probably a small leak and will hold a charge. We are happy to say that Mobile Service Pros has the tools to perform vacuum tests and system recharges on most cars and light trucks! As always, we come to you! If your A/C won't blow cold, give us a call! When a customer tells me that they need a tune up, my first question is, "Why?". It may seem a little rude at first, but it's because I have had some bad experiences because I didn't ask. Most people don't start looking into getting a tune up until something is wrong with their vehicle. In most cases, a tune up won't fix the problem and the customer is angry because they spent money for it. So by asking, I can actually help my customer save money.
In most cases, a check engine light does not mean that you need a tune up. This is a common misconception. At times, there can be misfires which are caused by bad spark plugs. When that happens, the vehicle will run poorly as well as causing a check engine light. However, 90% of check engine lights are for other reasons. So to just assume a tune up is wrong about 90% of the time. Tune ups should be done for maintenance before a problem surfaces. The definition of tune up can be (and usually is) greatly debated. Jennifer and I believe that it's important that we give our customers the best service possible, at the best possible price. We spent a lot of time considering what our pricing should be. So with careful consideration, we decided that our oil change service should start at $35.95. We considered the pricing for doing it yourself as the greatest comparison. With the average ticket price at any other brick-and-mortar facility being more than our price, we know that the time savings alone makes our value far above theirs. After all, consider:
This is just part of an article I wrote on Hubpages. To view the whole article, just click this link: powers1205.hubpages.com As our website states, we come to you. But what does that mean and what do we do? We know that every vehicle on the road requires oil changes. Everyone who owns a car knows that they need to do oil changes. The question becomes, where do you go and why?
First, I think most people are financially motivated. A lot of people bite at the cheap oil change so they can save money. Most people think, "What does it matter? An oil change is an oil change, right?" The answer to that is double-edged. Yes and no. Yes, no matter where you go, oil is drained and a filter is removed. New oil is installed and a new filter is installed. Boom, you're done! No, it's not always done correctly. The drain plug that is removed and reinstalled at every service becomes worn. This should be inspected at each service. Also, if it is overtightened, it can damage the oil pan. This can lead to the need for additional repairs. A call from a friend reminded of a common winter time concern. What do I do if my car is overheating but I don't feel much heat from the vents?
First, looking at the the system. In a simple statement, coolant is circulated around the engine to pull heat away from the engine. When it reaches a certain temperature, the thermostat opens and the coolant flows into the radiator to help cool the fluid. The heater core in the dash allows warm coolant to flow into the passenger compartment to give you heat. The water pump creates the flow as it's spun by the drive belt. Regardless of how much modern technology goes into vehicles, not much has changed with this basic system. At this time, there is no tool that can simply diagnose the cooling system issues. Diagnosing the system starts with a visual inspection. First the level of coolant needs to be determined. Low levels of fluid means that there is less fluid to carry the heat away from the engine, or into the passenger compartment. If the fluid is low, then add fluid start the car, and see what happens. If you don't see any leaks, check the exhaust. Smoke color from the exhaust can tell you a lot. Black smoke is a fuel or ignition issue, blue smoke is burning oil, and excess white smoke is water or coolant. This can be a little harder to determine in the winter time. Pulling the engine oil dipstick can also tell you if your car is burning coolant because the oil will look slightly milky. Flat tires are a pain in the rear! They never come at a convienient time. I remember driving down Mckinley in Mishawaka one particularly rainy evening, when my left rear tire decided to become all floppy. I pulled over into a parking lot near a restaurant and got out to investigate. Sure enough, the tire was completely flat. I opened my trunk to get to the spare and found that the spare and the tools had been completely rusted. Evidently the last time I had checked my spare tire and tools was...well...never. I was even working for a repair shop and I knew better. So I bang the rusty jack on the ground a few times to try to get it freed up. It was the style that cranks up by a long, threaded rod. I managed to get it to go up enough to get the tire up off the ground. It required a lot of kicking and banging. At the point I discovered that the lugnut wrench had swelled beyond fitting onto my wheel lugs, I was drenched and fuming. I went into the nearby restaurant to see if I could possibly borrow a lug wrench. Oddly, they quickly produced one from behind the kitchen door. I didn't ask questions. It was a four-way lug wrench and was exactly what I needed. After an hour or so in the rain, and a couple lessons on spare tire preparedness and restaurant security, I finally was able to complete my commute home from work. That was a valuable lesson.
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AuthorErik and Jennifer are the owner/operators of Mobile Service Pros. We enjoy working with our customers and community. Archives
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