Willoughby Hills Auto Repair

Wheel Alignment Service At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair In Willoughby Hills

willou866 — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:11:54 +0000

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.

Get Fresh Air Inside Your Car In Willoughby Hills

willou866 — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:15:18 +0000

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

Get The Right Tires And Wheels At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair

willou866 — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:51:10 +0000

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.

Battery Replacement In Willoughby Hills

willou866 — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:07:29 +0000

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

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

willou866 — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:53:35 +0000

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

Serpentine Belt Replacement At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair

willou866 — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:29:45 +0000

Today’s Willoughby Hills Auto Repair article focuses on your serpentine belt. Your serpentine belt is a long belt that’s driven by your engine. It winds around several accessories that power important automotive systems. Let’s go over them.

First, the serpentine belt drives your air conditioning system. Next, the belt powers the alternator.

The serpentine belt may also run the pumps for both the power steering and power brakes. In some sedans, power steering may have an electric drive and power brakes can be vacuum driven.

And, on many vehicles, the serpentine belt powers the water pump (on some cars, the water pump is powered by the timing belt).

Your Willoughby Hills Auto Repair service technician can perform a visual inspection of the belt to see if it has any cracks that signal the belt could fail soon and will measure the amount of belt material to make sure there is enough.

Willoughby Hills drivers should be aware that there’s a special, spring loaded pulley attached to the engine called the tensioner pulley and sometimes an extra pulley call the idler pulley. Their job is to make sure there’s a constant tension on the serpentine belt so that it doesn’t slip. The spring can become worn and no longer provide the necessary pressure to keep the belt tight. That’s why it’s often recommended that the tensioner, and the idler pulley if so equipped, be replaced at the same time as the serpentine belt.

All in all, the serpentine belt’s an important part for the function of your sedan. And it’s not that expensive to replace at Willoughby Hills Auto Repair – so it’s good to do so before it fails.

Schedule A Suspension Inspection At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair

willou866 — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:17:46 +0000

Today’s Highland Heights car care article focuses on your suspension system. After many years and tens of thousands of miles, your sedan suspension system components do wear out, but how long that takes depends a lot on how you drive. As you can imagine, if most of your driving is on smooth Highland Heights highways, your shock absorbers will last a lot longer than if you do most of your driving on bumpy roads or hauling heavy loads.

In addition to just wearing out, Willoughby Hills Auto Repair customers need to know that suspension components can be damaged in an accident or by a hard impact – like a pothole, hitting a curb or a rock in the road.

Because the life span of shocks can vary so widely, your sedan manufacturer and Willoughby Hills Auto Repair recommend periodic inspections. During an inspection, your Highland Heights service technician will check for worn, broken or missing parts.

Signs that shocks or struts are wearing out: The tires may have a cupped wear pattern. This is from the shocks bouncing unevenly as you drive around Highland Heights. You may notice a floaty or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your sedan dives excessively when stopping, or rocks back and forth after you stopped, your shocks may be worn out. And if they are leaking fluid, it’s definitely time to replace them.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, come into Willoughby Hills Auto Repair for a suspension inspection. Same if you’ve been in an accident that involved one of your wheels. Worn or broken shocks can cause premature wear or failure on other sedan suspension parts such as ball joints and other steering components as well. If your suspension actually fails, it could lead to a serious accident, so let us take care of your suspension components at Willoughby Hills Auto Repair.

When you replace your shocks, it’s usually a good idea to replace all four at the same time. That’ll give you more even handling. Talk with your service advisor at Willoughby Hills Auto Repair because you don’t want a big difference between the performance of your shocks from wheel to wheel, and replacing all may be the safest bet.

PCV Valve Replacement At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair

willou866 — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:20:45 +0000

Today’s Willoughby Hills car care article focuses on PCV valve replacement. The PCV valve is a little, inexpensive part that does a big job for your sedan. PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation.

The crankcase is the bottom area of the engine that holds the oil. When the sedan engine’s running, fuel is burned to generate power. Most of the exhaust from combustion goes out through the exhaust system. But some exhaust blows by the pistons and goes into the lower engine, or crankcase.

These hot gases are about seventy percent unburned fuel. This can dilute and contaminate the oil, leading to damaging engine oil sludge. It can also cause engine corrosion in your sedan. At high speeds, the pressure can build up to the point that gaskets and seals start to leak.

Willoughby Hills car owners need to know that over time, the vented gases will gum up the PCV valve and it won’t work well. That can lead to all of the problems I’ve already described, oil leaks, excessive oil consumption and wasted gas.

Fortunately, it’s very easy to test the PCV valve and quick and inexpensive to replace it at Willoughby Hills Auto Repair. Even so, it’s often overlooked because many Willoughby Hills drivers don’t know about it.

Check your sedan owner’s manual or ask your Willoughby Hills Auto Repair advisor. If this is the first time you’ve heard of a PCV valve, you might be in line for a PCV valve replacement.

Please ask us about your PCV valve. For the price of a couple of burger combo meals, you can avoid some very expensive deep engine repairs.

Willoughby Hills Tire Tread Depth – Washington vs. Lincoln

willou866 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:45:56 +0000

Today’s Willoughby Hills Auto Repair article discusses the effect of tire tread depth on braking. When talking about stopping power, Willoughby Hills drivers tend to focus on brakes. But our tires are where the rubber meets the road. So having good brakes isn’t enough. Willoughby Hills motorists have to have tires with enough traction to translate braking power into stopping power.

Let’s focus on stopping in wet Willoughby Hills conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can’t move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water.

That’s called hydroplaning. At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair we want our customers to know that if it’s really bad, you can actually spin out of control. At best, you won’t stop as fast.

So how does a tire move water? It has channels for water to flow through. Look at a tire and you’ll see channels: channels that run around the tire and channels that flow across the tire. They’re designed to direct water away from the tire so it can contact the road better.

And the deeper the channel, the more water it can move. A brand new tire has very deep channels and can easily move a lot of water. As the tire wears down, the channels become shallower and can move less water. When it wears down enough, it can seriously affect your ability to stop on wet Willoughby Hills roads.

So that’s why it’s so important for Willoughby Hills drivers to replace the tires on their sedans when they get worn. Consumer Reports and other advocate groups call for a standard of 3/32 of an inch and they have the studies to prove it.

By comparison, you’ve probably seen the wear indicator that’s molded into tires. When tires are worn 3/32 of an inch, the tread wear bar is visible. So the recommended standard has twice the tread depth as a completely worn out tire.

And that little bit of additional tread makes a big difference. Stopping distances are cut dramatically on wet roads. A safe stop from OH freeway speeds with 4/32 of an inch of tread would result in a crash with worn out tires.

There’s an easy way to tell when a tire’s worn to 4/32 of an inch. Just insert a quarter into the tread. Put it in upside down. If the tread doesn’t cover George Washington’s hairline, it’s time to replace your tires. With a Canadian quarter, the tread should cover the numbers in the year stamp.

You’ve probably heard of this technique using a penny and Abe Lincoln’s head. That measure gives you 2/32 of an inch – half the suggested amount.

Of course, tires are a big ticket item for Willoughby Hills car owners. Most of us want to get as many miles out of them as we can. But there’s a real safety trade-off. It’s your choice.

Severe Driving In Willoughby

willou866 — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:20:08 +0000

Most Willoughby motorists know that their owner’s manuals have schedules for preventive maintenance. Things like oil changes, transmission service and so on. They say you should change your oil every so many miles or after so many months. Willoughby people understand this very well. What they may not know is that there are actually two service schedules: the regular schedule and the severe service schedule. The mileage and time intervals are lower on the severe service schedule.

Now when you hear “severe service”, you may think it doesn’t apply to you because you don’t feel your driving conditions are severe or extreme – it’s just normal everyday driving around Willoughby. At Willoughby Hills Auto Repair, we discuss the conditions that manufacturers classify as severe so that you can make the judgment on your own driving.

Most trips are less than four miles

Most trips are less than ten miles and outside temperatures are below freezing in Willoughby

You drive in very hot OH weather

Driving at low speed most of the time (under 55 mph)

Stop and go driving

Operating your vehicle in dusty, polluted or muddy conditions

You tow a trailer, regularly carry heavy loads or carry a car-top carrier on your sedan

Most Willoughby drivers operate under severe driving conditions at least some of the time. How do you know which schedule to follow for your sedan?

Carefully think about your driving conditions and decide if you should do your preventive maintenance closer to the severe service recommendation or the regular recommendation. Of course, your Willoughby Hills Auto Repair advisor can help you with your decision.