AUTONET TV

Keep Your Clovis Car Breathing Free: Engine Air Filter

Hey Clovis - this is something really amazing: Your vehicle uses 12,000 times as much air as fuel when you drive it. All of that air has to be filtered to keep your engine clean.

That's like 100 gallons (380 liters) of air every block! The engine air filter is just another example of a very important but inexpensive part that has to do a tremendous amount of work. And when it works, everything goes well. But, when it doesn't, well, it can lead to problems. Of course, your vehicle manufacturer recommends how often to change your air filter. But like most service intervals, where and how you drive your vehicle in CA affects when your filter needs to be changed.

Dusty conditions around Clovis or polluted city driving means you'll need to change your filter more often. Our trained professionals at Triple A Automotive can check your filter for you. In fact, it's often a routine part of an oil change.

When you think about it, a clogged air filter won't allow as much air through as a clean filter. Your vehicle needs this air to efficiently burn its fuel, giving you better fuel economy and performance.

Dirtier filters don't work as well as clean ones. A filter can only hold so much; after that, it allows dirt to pass right into your engine. Air filters come in all shapes and sizes. They also come in different grades. There are high performance air filters available for most vehicles. These high performance filters cost a little more, but they increase horsepower and may improve fuel economy to boot.

So it's important for Clovis drivers to make sure and have their air filter checked. If it needs replacing, it doesn't cost very much at Triple A Automotive in Clovis and it should easily pay for itself in better fuel economy before your next oil change.

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

Vive la Differential at Triple A Automotive in Clovis

There are a lot of drivers in Clovis who are due for a differential service, but had never heard of a differential before. With front-wheel drive being so common in CA these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Clovis folks don't even have to think about it. And rear-wheel drive differentials don't need to be serviced for years, so it's understandable that it's not something on the top of your mind. It's not uncommon for people in Clovis to not know they have a differential, let alone know that it needs service.

To better understand what a differential does, think about a track at any CA high school. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes. That's to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes. Staggering the starting lines means that each runner has the same distance to run.

The differential compensates for the difference in speeds between the inside vehicle wheel and the outside wheel in a turn, because they have to travel together through slightly different distances.

It's a very important function. When you think of it, all the power to get a vehicle moving goes through the differential. Most cars weigh between 3,000 and 6,000 pounds (1,400 and 2,800 kg) – trucks even more. The power from the engine goes through the transmission and then through the differential to the drive wheels.

That's a lot of work and requires very heavy duty parts. And those parts need protection. The differential fluid lubricates the gears in the differential and keeps them cool. The fluid eventually gets dirty and worn down. Some kinds of differentials require special additives that break down over time. So manufacturers recommend intervals for when to replace your differential fluid.

Your knowledgeable Triple A Automotive service technician will drain the used fluid and check it out for metal bits, which could be a sign of excessive wear on the gears. He'll then replace the fluid and install the additives if necessary.

Your Triple A Automotive service advisor can look up the vehicle manufacturer's recommended service interval or you can check your owner's manual.

At Triple A Automotive, we've been providing quality automotive service for our valued Clovis customers since . If you need to schedule differential maintenance, or any other automotive service, give us a call at (559) 299-9300.

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

The Easy Way to Save Cash in Clovis

The hottest CA news story may be different every day, but there's one topic that seems to come up over and over again – the price of gas in Clovis. If you feel like most of your paycheck goes into your gas tank, this post is for you. Here are several basic things people in Clovis can do to greatly reduce their gas consumption, save money, and help the environment. You can really improve your fuel economy by how you drive – but first, here's a review of things you can do for your vehicle that'll save gas no matter how you drive.

The first one for Clovis drivers is keeping tires properly inflated. That can save 2 miles per gallon/.85 km per liter. Driving on low tires is like driving through sand – your car just has to work harder. Most Clovis service centers will fill up your tires for free, so just ask Triple A Automotive. Also, make a habit of checking your tire pressure whenever you fill up. Many Clovis gas stations have an air hose you can use for free.

Another important item is to keep your air filter clean. An air filter all clogged up with dirt and bugs doesn't let enough clean air through to efficiently burn fuel. Using a dirty air filter will cost you almost 2 miles per gallon/.85 km per liter in reduced fuel economy. And worn spark plugs can cost about the same. A spark plug can fire as many as 3,000,000 times for every 1,000 miles/1,600 km driven. Check the vehicle owner's manual for replacement recommendations.

The biggest item is the oxygen sensor. This device provides the engine management computer with information it needs to fine-tune the fuel/air mix. When that's messed up it can cost Clovis vehicles up to 3 miles per gallon/1.3 km per liter. And of course, there's dirty or substandard oil. Dirty oil causes extra drag. The wrong grade may be too thick. That's another .4 miles per gallon/.17 km per liter right there.

One item Clovis residents seldom think about is their gas cap. A worn, loose or missing gas cap can cost another 2 miles per gallon/.85 km per liter. Adding up all of these worn, missing or sub-par items leads to a total of almost 11.4 miles per gallon/4.85 km per liter in reduced fuel economy! And with current gas prices in the Clovis area, the cost really adds up. Taking care of these simple maintenance items will save Clovis drivers at the pump. 

Now most vehicles aren't missing on all of these items, but think about which ones might affect you right now! And don't forget tune-ups, dragging brakes, low transmission fluid, fuel system cleaning, wheels out of alignment, PCV valve, fuel filter and other services spelled out in your owner's  manual.

Triple A Automotive knows all this stuff and can tell you when you're scheduled to take care of each item. Create a system of your own to track your service schedules, or just use the computer system at Triple A Automotive – which may also be updated with recall notices and maintenance schedule items from your vehicle manufacturer.

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

Fuel Saving Tip: Alignment for Your Clovis Vehicle

Imagine you've left Clovis and you're up in the arctic on a dog sled.

Your dog team is pulling straight and true. You can cover a lot of ground quickly. Now imagine what would happen if one or two of the dogs wanted to go their own way and were pulling off to the side.

That would slow you down. You would have to work harder to keep the sled going where you want it. The dogs are all working as hard as before, but you're covering less ground for the same effort.

You're wasting kibble.

The same is true of your vehicle when the wheels are out of alignment. That wheel that's pulling to the side is dragging down the rest of the vehicle; so you push a little harder on the gas pedal to keep up your speed. You're wasting gas.

So have your wheel alignment checked at least once a year. It is important to get it checked right away if you feel the vehicle pulling to one side.

Sometimes we Clovis residents bump a curb or hit a pothole and knock our wheels out of alignment. An accident can take the wheels out of alignment as well.

Clovis residents need to make sure they're tracking straight. You'll get better fuel economy and your tires'll last longer. Now, mush!

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