May 16, 2012

Wheel Alignment Service At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair In Willoughby Hills

Filed under: Alignment — willou866 @ 5:11 pm

Wheel Alignment Service At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair In Willoughby Hills

When all of a vehicle’s wheels are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Hitting a road hazard in Willoughby Hills or even just the normal bumps and bounces of everyday OH driving can cause your sedan wheels to be out of alignment. This can lead to expensive premature tire and suspension wear.

Here are some alignment basics from Willoughby Hills Auto Repair:
The first angle is called toe: do the wheels point in towards each other or away from each other at the front of the tire.
The next angle is called camber: do the wheels tip in or out at the top.
And finally, there is castor. Castor measures the angle where the front axles attach to the vehicle.

The ideal alignment for your sedan was designed by its engineers. Willoughby Hills Auto Repair alignment service starts with an inspection of the steering and suspension – so see if anything’s bent, broken or worn out. Then the Willoughby Hills Auto Repair technician will look at tire condition. From there, the sedan is put on an alignment rack and an initial alignment reading is taken. The wheels are then aligned to manufacturer’s specifications.

Your owner’s manual probably has a recommendation for how often your sedan alignment should be checked – usually every couple of years. If you suspect an alignment problem with your sedan, get it checked at Willoughby Hills Auto Repair before you suffer expensive tire or suspension damage.

Give us a call

Willoughby Hills Auto Repair
440.585.1691
34801 Chardon Rd
Willoughby Hills, OH 44094

At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair in Willoughby Hills OH (44094) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 440.585.1691. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 9, 2012

Get Fresh Air Inside Your Car In Willoughby Hills

Filed under: Cabin Air Filter — willou866 @ 7:15 pm

Get Fresh Air Inside Your Car In Willoughby Hills

Air quality affects us wherever we are in Willoughby Hills. Many decades ago, Willoughby Hills residents began to become aware of how air pollution negatively affects health. But what about the air inside your vehicle?

Cabin air filters are now coming on most new sedans since the 2000 model year. These filters clean the air in the passenger compartment. They can filter particles down to three microns, so that’s good enough to clean out dust, pollen and most pollutants. If you suffer from allergies in Willoughby Hills, this is very good news.

You can look in your sedan owner’s manual to see if you have a cabin air filter. If you do, there’ll be a recommendation for replacing it when it gets dirty. If you live where there’s a lot of dust, pollen or pollution, you may need to change it more often. You can also ask your caring service advisor at Willoughby Hills Auto Repair in Willoughby Hills.

How hard it is to change a cabin air filter depends on your vehicle. Some are quite accessible; others take some doing to get to them. They’re usually in the sedan engine compartment or under the dashboard.

Because cabin air filters are so new on the scene, some Willoughby Hills motorists haven’t heard of them – even people who have cabin air filters. Willoughby Hills Auto Repair service advisors report customers complaining of an unpleasant odor in their vehicle and it turned out to be a dirty cabin air filter.

An important note for Willoughby Hills hybrid owners: there is a special air filter that cleans the air that cools the hybrid battery pack. This filter should be inspected every time the cabin air filter is inspected and replaced if it is dirty so that the battery pack doesn’t overheat.

Give us a call

Willoughby Hills Auto Repair
440.585.1691
34801 Chardon Rd
Willoughby Hills, OH 44094

At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair in Willoughby Hills OH (44094) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 440.585.1691. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 3, 2012

Get The Right Tires And Wheels At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair

Filed under: Tires — willou866 @ 4:51 pm

Get The Right Tires And Wheels At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair

A lot of Highland Heights drivers get custom wheels. When you do this yourself (over the internet . . .) you could run into trouble if you’re not careful. Sometimes, once they’re mounted, they just didn’t fit right. The tires rub in turns or on bumps. You don’t want that.

Consulting a tire professional at Willoughby Hills Auto Repair can ensure you get the right fit. First he’ll ask you a series of questions about your driving needs in Highland Heights and what you want in your new wheels.

At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair, we advise Highland Heights tire buyers that not every wheel can go on every car. 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 so the tires rub.

If you don’t want to make any modifications to your sedan, you need to focus on the wheels that fit. With trucks, some Highland Heights people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Highland Heights people don’t realize that you need to keep the rolling diameter of your new tires – that’s, like 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 sedan’s 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 speed. If you go with a different rolling diameter, your sedan’s engine control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size. For information on reprogramming the engine computer, call us at 440.585.1691.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in Highland Heights. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Willoughby Hills Auto Repair tire professional about how big the wheel should be – and select the right tire to meet your style, performance, ride and handling needs.

At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair in Willoughby Hills OH (44094) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 440.585.1691. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 25, 2012

Battery Replacement In Willoughby Hills

Filed under: Battery — willou866 @ 6:07 pm

Battery Replacement In Willoughby Hills

Car batteries wear out just like any other battery and need to be replaced. There are a couple of things Willoughby Hills sedan owners should know when looking for a new car battery: one is cold cranking amps and the other is reserve capacity.

Let’s start with cold cranking amps. This can be thought of as the power output used to start a cold sedan engine. The number of cold cranking amps you need depends on your vehicle and where you live around Willoughby Hills, specifically how cold it is where you live. The two factors are that the colder an engine is, the more power it takes to turn the sedan engine over to get it started. It has all that cold, sluggish oil to contend with. The other factor is that the chemical reaction in the battery that creates electrical energy is less efficient in the cold.

So the colder it gets in Willoughby Hills, more power is needed, but the available power drops.

If you live where it’s cold, you need a battery with more cold cranking amps than you do where it’s moderate or hot. You should always get at least as many cold cranking amps as the manufacturer recommends, but may want to upgrade at Willoughby Hills Auto Repair if you live where it gets real cold.

An important note: Batteries may also list the Cranking Amps – CA – number. It is the Cold Cranking Amps – or CCA – that is the important number here. CCA is the number to use in your comparisons.

Now with all this talk of cold temperatures in Willoughby Hills, it’s important to note that heat is the real enemy of long battery life. In other words, the damage that’s done over the hot summer months in Willoughby Hills shows up with the increased demands on the sedan battery when the weather turns cold.

Now on to reserve capacity: It’s a measurement of the number of minutes of reserve power the battery has at a given load. The number is more important these days because of parasitic drain. Parasitic drain is the battery energy that’s used when the key is off. So the power drawn by the sedan security system, the remote start system, even the power the sedan computers require to maintain their memory.

Reserves are also needed when you make very short trips around Willoughby Hills. You’re not driving long enough for the battery to recover the energy it used to start the sedan engine.

So go with the minimum recommended by your manufacturer and upgrade if you need more. Talk with your caring Willoughby Hills Auto Repair service advisor about options. If you need more from your battery, a larger capacity battery may be called for.

Batteries are a big ticket item for most Willoughby Hills motorists, so the warranty gives peace of mind. Be sure to ask about the car battery warranty at Willoughby Hills Auto Repair so you know what you’re getting. At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair, we have been providing quality auto service in Willoughby Hills for 16 years.

Give us a call

Willoughby Hills Auto Repair
34801 Chardon Rd
Willoughby Hills, OH 44094

At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair in Willoughby Hills OH (44094) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 440.585.1691. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 19, 2012

Getting The Right Wheels And Tires At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair In Willoughby Hills

Filed under: Tires — willou866 @ 4:53 pm

Getting The Right Wheels And Tires At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair In Willoughby Hills

A lot of people in the Willoughby 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 Willoughby Hills Auto Repair in Willoughby Hills can ensure you get the right fit for your sedan. 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 sedan, you would need to focus on a wheel and tire combination that would fit. With trucks, some Willoughby Hills people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Willoughby Hills 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 sedan 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 sedan vehicle control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size. At Willoughby Hills 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 Willoughby Hills. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Willoughby Hills 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 caring Willoughby Hills Auto Repair tire specialist see your sedan in person so mistakes are not made.

At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair, we also offer brakes and tires.

Give us a call

Willoughby Hills Auto Repair
440.585.1691
34801 Chardon Rd
Willoughby Hills, OH 44094

At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair in Willoughby Hills OH (44094) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 440.585.1691. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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