AUTONET TV

Rotation Explanation (Tire Rotation Patterns)

You may notice that when you get your vehicle's oil changed, your service adviser may recommend that you have your tires rotated at the same time.  The reasons are simple.  That will allow your tires to wear more evenly and reduce the noise your tires make as you drive down the road.

There are different ways of rotating tires. If your vehicle has non-directional tires and the same size wheels at each corner, here are the different rotation patterns.

For all-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive vehicles, one is called the rearward cross pattern.  The rear tires are moved to the front and stay on the same side of the vehicle, and the front tires are moved to the rear on the side opposite of where they were on the front. 

For all-wheel and four-wheel drive vehicles, use the X pattern.  The rear tires are moved to the front on the opposite side of the vehicle, and the fronts are moved to the rear on the opposite side of where they were on the front.

For front-wheel drive, there's the forward cross.  The front tires are moved to the rear wheels on the same side of the vehicle as they were on the front and the rear tires are moved to the opposite side of the vehicle than they were on the rear. 

If you have directional tires (they only can be mounted in one direction) and the same size directional wheels, the rear tires are moved to the front on the same side of the vehicle where they were, and the front tires are moved to the rear on the same side they were on the front.   And if you have tires with different sizes of non-directional tires and wheels on the front and rear, rotation will be from one side of the vehicle to the other. 

If you have a spare, it's put into the rotation using a forward cross or rearward cross. 

Yep, that's a lot to keep straight.  So, we suggest letting your service advisor recommend the right rotation pattern for you at the interval your vehicle's manufacturer specifies.

Triple A Automotive
972 Barstow Suite B
Clovis, CA 93612
(559) 299-9300
www.tripleaautomotive.com

Don’t Blow Your Cool (Water Pump Replacement)

It’s always a good idea to keep your cool, and that’s especially true when it comes to some components of your vehicle.  One is the engine.  It’s hot under that hood thanks to the mini explosions that are occurring in the internal combustion engine when it’s running.  Your vehicle has a cooling system which takes the heat out of the engine by moving a liquid coolant to a spot where the heat can escape (the radiator). 

The part that keeps that coolant moving is the water pump, which could probably be more accurately called the coolant pump since water is only one component of the fluid that does the cooling. If the water pump fails, your engine can overheat quickly, and that can cause significant and expensive damage to your vehicle.  Water pumps can be driven by belts (mechanical) or electricity (electric).

Your vehicle’s manufacturer recommends mileage intervals when you should consider replacing your water pump even if seems to be working fine.  That way   you are less likely to have a water pump break down at an inopportune time. Some manufacturers recommend replacing it every 60,000-100,000 miles/100,000-160,000 km.

Sometimes your water pump will fail before that, of course.  One sign something is wrong with the cooling system is if you notice the engine is overheating.  An illuminated engine temperature warning light on your dash or a temperature gauge that shows above normal are two things to look for.

You may also see steam coming out of the engine compartment, which is another sign of overheating.  Both could mean your water pump needs replacing.  We also recommend that when your vehicle’s timing belt needs to be replaced that you have the water pump replaced at the same time since everything will already be apart.

When your vehicle is already in to have the water pump replaced, it’s a good time for a technician to examine other cooling system components at the same time.  Those will include belts, pulleys, hoses, clamps as well as the radiator, thermostat and heater core.

How to Know When to Change Your Oil at Triple A Automotive

Today in the Triple A Automotive auto care blog, we're going to talk to Clovis drivers about oil change intervals. It seems that as engine technology advances, oil change intervals become longer for Triple A Automotive customers. For example, recently four of the world's largest vehicle manufacturer's shortened the published intervals for several of their engine models. They originally published intervals that extended out to a much as 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers).

In real world Clovis driving, the oil started to sludge up before the recommended change interval. Oil sludge is a thick jelly-like substance: quite literally petroleum jelly – like Vaseline. This goop was clogging vehicle small engine passages so the oil wouldn't flow to some parts of the engine. This resulted in engine damage. We see it too often at Triple A Automotive in Clovis.

The vehicle manufacturers began to offer an extended warranty to cover sludge damage. But there was a catch: the vehicle owner had to follow a new, lower service interval and provide proof of oil changes in order to make a warranty claim.

So here's the bottom line for Clovis vehicle owners: with longer oil change intervals, it's essential to follow them closely. Back in the day of 3 months or 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers), if you went an extra month or an extra thousand miles or couple of thousand kilometers, your oil was still fresh enough that it didn't have time to build up much sludge.

But if your recommended interval is 6,500 miles (10,000 kilometers) and you go over another thousand miles or couple of thousands of kilometers, you're getting into heavy sludge territory. You absolutely need to follow mileage intervals very closely. And don't forget your severe service schedule. If you do a lot of stop and go driving in CA, short trips, drive in dusty or polluted Clovis conditions, hot or cold weather  or haul heavy loads, you're driving in severe service conditions. Your Triple A Automotive service advisor can help you determine which schedule to follow.

So check your vehicle owner's manual or talk with your Triple A Automotive service advisor about where and how you drive in Clovis. Should you change your oil closer to the regular schedule, or the severe service schedule? You need to make the call.

Let me give you an example of this. Some newer vehicles have an oil change indicator. It has a sophisticated computer algorithm that tracks number of cold starts, engine temperature, RPMs, mileage and many more variables to come up with a recommendation for when to change the oil.

Depending on driving conditions, the indicator in one test vehicle came on at anywhere from 2,500 miles (4,000 km) to almost 7,000 miles (11,000 km). It's typically just over 4,000 miles (6,500 km). Sometimes our driving is easy on the vehicle – like a long road trip. Sometimes, our driving is hard on it – like towing a heavy trailer or a lot of around town driving. But, usually, it's a combination of both.

Once again, it's up to you to make the call as to when to change your oil at Triple A Automotive to protect your vehicle engine. Another place where CA drivers can go wrong is with the type of oil they use. More and more new cars are coming to Clovis owners filled with synthetic oil. Without going into a lot of detail right now, let's just say that synthetic oil lasts longer and is very resistant to oil sludge.

But it also costs quite a bit more, so some people are tempted to use conventional oil for their oil changes. Now, it's always best to use the oil recommended by your vehicle manufacturer. Check your owner's manual see if a conventional oil alternative is allowed.

But getting back to the problem, if your vehicle came from the factory with synthetic oil, the recommended oil change interval is for synthetic oil. If you use conventional oil, you can't use the synthetic interval. You need to shorten it.

Triple A Automotive
972 Barstow Suite B
Clovis, CA 93612
(559) 299-9300
www.tripleaautomotive.com

Today’s Headlights: Brighter, Smarter… and Harder to Replace

Maybe you’re old enough to remember when headlights were essentially all the same on every vehicle.  They were so cheap and easy to replace, most people could do it themselves.  Those days are gone.  Now, headlights put out more and better light and are more efficient.  Those all contribute to better visibility for you, the driver.  But those improvements mean they’re more complicated and, therefore, harder to repair or replace. 
 
The new headlight technology basically takes two approaches, HID (High-Intensity Discharge) or LED headlights.  The LEDs put out a brighter light that can illuminate more of the road ahead.

Another new feature in today’s headlights allows them to turn when you turn your steering wheel.  The advantage is you can more clearly see where you are going.  They can dim parts of the beam so oncoming drivers aren’t blinded.  You’ll notice the difference most on dark, winding country roads.

Because these new headlights are far more complex than the previous generation, in most cases you can’t just unplug a lamp and plug in another.  Today’s headlights often come as a sealed assembly, and in some cases to replace it means taking off the bumper, the grille or the headlight housing. Some may require you to get a whole new assembly.

That, of course, raises the cost.  A new headlight assembly with LEDs, sensors and control modules may cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, especially on high-end vehicles. Plus, the installation is complex.

That’s why when it comes to modern headlight assemblies, it’s best to have a technician diagnose the issue.  What you thought might be a simple burned-out leadlight could be any number of things, such as a wiring problem or a failed module. Having a professional diagnose it helps make sure you get the correct repair, and you won’t be replacing parts that don’t need replacing.

Triple A Automotive
972 Barstow Suite B
Clovis, CA 93612
(559) 299-9300
www.tripleaautomotive.com