HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-04-08, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 2010.
ARE YOU
READY FOR THE
OPEN ROAD?
Get your car ready for spring touring
Call 519-523-9308 and book your tune-up today!
❀❀ Exhaust Systems ❀❀ Brakes
❀❀ Dripless Undercoats ❀❀ Tune-ups
Repairs to all
makes & models
of cars & trucks
Jack Van Dorp
Located 2 miles south of Blyth
Corner of London Rd. & Hullett-McKillop Rd.
Used Car and Truck Sales
PAT & HEATHER DEJONG
“FUEL INJECTION SYSTEMS”
Servicing Diesel Pumps and Injectors
Cleaning and Flow Testing Gasoline Injectors
Turbo Charger Service
Alternator and Starter Service
On Site Service Available
Toll Free
1.800.320.0666
Web:
huronfuelinjection.com
Highway #4 South
Clinton
519.482.7971
Save money and go green with fuel conservationWhether due to the strugglingeconomy or an increased desire to
live a more environmentally-
conscious life, many of the nation's
drivers are exploring ways in which
they can conserve fuel. While riding
a bicycle to work or taking public
transportation are both reliable
means to conserving fuel, there are
many other ways to do so as well.
Don’t accelerate too quickly.
Accelerating too quickly from a
dead stop taxes the engine and
requires more fuel as a result.
Don’t overfill the gas tank. When
filling your tank, stop once you hear
the first click at the pump.
Overfilling will simply lead to
spillover.
Empty the trunk. It might beconvenient to keep your golf clubs
in the trunk, but that excess weight
could be forcing your engine to
work harder and use more fuel as a
result.
Close the windows when driving
at higher speeds. When the windows
are open at high speeds, that added
air drag is reducing your vehicle's
fuel efficiency substantially.
Don't idle too long in the
mornings to “warm up” the vehicle.
In general, a vehicle does not need
more than 60 seconds of warming
up to be able to operate efficiently.
Don’t rev the engine like you’re
driving a race car. Revving the
engine needlessly wastes fuel and
can even lead to engine damage.Maintain your vehicle. Older
filters make it harder for an engine
to run at maximum efficiency, so
stick to the recommended
maintenance schedule.
Don’t keep winter, or snow, tires
on your vehicle once the weather
has warmed up. Deep tire tread might help you
navigate your way along snow-
covered roads in the winter, but that
deep tread also makes the engine
work harder to keep a car running
smoothly, and that extra work uses
up more fuel.
CUSTOM EXHAUST SYSTEMS
& GENERAL REPAIRS
• Auto, light truck & agricultural
maintenance & repairs
• Custom bent exhaust systems
made with precision & pride
• Aluminized & stainless tubing
• Bending up to 3"
• Expanding up to 4"
• Diesel 4" & 5" systems
Bob Jamieson ~ Class A Mechanic
519-482-pipe (7473)
41477 Winthrop Rd.
Londesboro, ON
Summer is the season for major car-
battery problems. Heat, not cold,
shortens battery life, says Car Care
Canada.
Excessive heat and overcharging
are the two main reasons for
shortened battery life.
Heat causes battery fluid to
evaporate, damaging the internal
structure of the battery.
A malfunctioning component in the
charging system, usually the voltage
regulator, allows too high a charging
rate. That’s slow death for a battery.
True, there are more road service
calls in cold weather for dead
batteries that cause starting failure.
That’s when a battery’s output is
diminished because of sluggish
electro-chemical action that gives the
battery its power. Also, colder
temperatures increase thickness of the
engine oil, making the engine harder
to turn over. These factors lead to
harder starting.
“An average of one out of four
vehicles gets a new battery every
year,” says Marc Brazeau of Car Care
Canada. “Sooner or later all batteries
have to be replaced, but having to so
prematurely can involve more than
the cost of a road service call and a
new battery, it can be inconvenient as
well.”
To get the most life out of a battery,
Brazeau suggests the following:
Be sure the electrical system is
charging at the correct rate;
overcharging can damage a battery as
quickly as undercharging.
If your battery is the type that needs
to be topped off, check it regularly,
especially in hot weather. Add
distilled water when necessary.
Always replace a battery with one
that's rated at least as high as the one
originally specified.
Keep the top of the battery clean.
Dirt becomes a conductor, which
drains battery power. Further, as
corrosion accumulates on battery
terminals it becomes an insulator,
inhibiting current flow.
Hot weathershortens
battery life
Heads up
Brandon Blake of J.L.
McCutcheon Motors
checks under a vehicle
during a spring tune-up.
(Aislinn Bremner photo)