Alignment

It's no wonder that your vehicle will drive better if all the wheels are pointing in exactly the same direction. This is called wheel alignment. If the wheel alignment is out of alignment, you will notice that your vehicle is pulling to one side or the other.

Cabin air filter

Let's talk about cabin air filters. There has been some confusion about them, which we will surely be able to clear up. This confusion is partly caused by the fact that these filters are relatively new. Not all vehicles have them, so some people confuse the cabin air filter with the engine air filter.

Cooling system

We are often asked about the cooling system, the system that cools your engine and keeps it at the right operating temperature. Let's look at the subject in two parts: first, let's talk about the coolant, and second, the parts that make up the cooling system.

Differential service

When your car makes a turn, the wheels on the outside of the turn must travel a slightly greater distance than the wheels on the inside of the turn. This also means that the outside wheels must travel at a slightly higher speed than the inside wheels. The remarkable mechanism that makes this possible is called a differential.

Engine air filter

Your engine depends on a clean air supply to operate at optimum efficiency. To burn one gallon of fuel in your engine, it needs about 12,000 gallons of air. And clean air is much more useful than polluted air.

Fuel system

I'd like to give you a brief overview of the power circuit. It all starts with the fuel tank. The fuel pump is located inside the tank and pumps fuel to the engine. In its path is a fuel filter that filters out dirt before it reaches the engine. Next is the fuel system and the fuel injectors, which deliver the fuel to be burned into the engine.

Oil change

With advances in technology, the recommended oil change intervals have been extended. High quality oil in a sophisticated engine has resulted in longer oil change intervals.

The problem is this: with these shorter oil change intervals, following them to the letter becomes more important. Back when oil lasted 3 months or 5,000 kilometres, if you exceeded that limit by a month or 1,000 kilometres, your oil may not have accumulated too much sludge in that time.

But if the suggested interval is 10,000 kilometres and you drive another 1,000 kilometres, you can expect a lot of sludge.

Power brakes

Essentially, the Hydraulic Brake Assist system gives you the braking power you need so you don't have to do all the work with your brake pedal. Braking is carried out at the wheels by hydraulic pressure. When the brake pedal is depressed, we create pressure in the brake servo which is multiplied by the engine vacuum. The resulting pressure pushes the brake fluid through the master cylinder into the tubes and hoses connected to the brake at each wheel.

Rotating & balancing

Wheel balancing weights may fall off and cause vibration. In this case, you must have your wheel rebalanced. It is estimated that 70,000 tons of weights made of lead are lost worldwide every year. Several U.S. states prohibit the use of lead wheel balance weights for environmental reasons. Substitute materials such as zinc are now being used.

Serpentine belt

Today, 20% of vehicles on the road have a multi-function belt that should be replaced. Not only can a worn belt break without warning, but it can also slip and damage important engine accessories. Have your belt inspected and replaced if it is worn or damaged. You won't regret it! 

Sparks plugs

Gasoline and air are ignited in your engine to create a small explosion that produces energy. The spark plug releases a small blast of high-voltage electricity to start the fire. The key term here is "high voltage". Your vehicle's battery has a voltage of only 12 volts, which is not enough to power the spark plug. The job of the ignition coils is to amplify those 12 volts to the 100,000 volts needed.

Steering

Steering is one of the systems in the car that we tend to forget. Our discussion will be in two parts: firstly, power steering and secondly, the parts that mechanically steer the vehicle.

Most people under the age of 40 have never driven a car or truck without power steering. In fact, the majority of today's vehicles are equipped with a hydraulic pump that makes steering easier. The pump is usually driven by the multi-function belt, but some newer vehicles have an electric pump. Some vehicles even have an electric motor that powers the steering system directly.

Timing belt

Let's now turn to a very important maintenance task: the replacement of the timing belt. Neglecting this crucial element can lead to expensive engine damage.

Your timing belt - or synchronous belt - synchronizes combustion times. Your pistons slide in the cylinders. Intake valves open at the right time to admit fuel air and also close at the right time to allow fuel to burn. Finally, the exhaust valves open again at the right time to let the exhaust fumes out.

Transfer case service

You may know little about transfer cases, but if you have an all-wheel drive vehicle, you have one. The transfer case distributes power between the front and rear axles. For example, if you have a rear-wheel drive SUV, power is transferred to the rear wheels until you need all-wheel drive. The transfer case then comes into play and transfers some of the power to the front wheels. To switch to all-wheel drive, you may use a shift lever or a button on the dashboard, or your vehicle may switch to all-wheel drive as needed without your intervention.

Transmission

Let's talk about transmissions. Transmissions are very robust assemblies of parts, designed to last a very long time. But like any other machine, they end up wearing out and needing repairs. So let's look at what you can do to delay this event as much as possible.

The first thing to do is to make sure your transmission always has enough fluid in it. Transmission fluid cools and lubricates the transmission. When there is not enough fluid, the transmission will produce more heat and deteriorate faster. Transmission fluid also provides the pressure needed to transfer power from the engine to the transmission. If there is not enough fluid, the transmission will not shift properly.

Windshield wipers

We're going to talk about windshield wipers. This may seem like a trivial subject to you, but think how important seeing is to us... We protect our eyes. If we wear contact lenses or glasses, we take care of them. Well, on the road, seeing well depends on our windshield wipers.

So we must consider them as part of a vital safety system. We need to ensure safety at all times, rather than just reacting when our wiper blades stop working. How many times have you been caught off guard by the first storm of the season and a streaked windshield that barely lets you see? Or a lack of windshield washer fluid?