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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1988-04-20, Page 13Page 12 Times -Advocate, April 20, 1988 SPRING CAR CARE Get Quality Professional Service from These Experts Get more dollars at trade-in time O "Dear, remember that strange noise whenever 1 applied the brakes?" Wheel alignment Is your car ready for "front end alignment" service? Don't be sur- prised to find out it needs rear wheel alignment too, says Car Care Coun- cil, if you own a front wheel drive car. These occasionally require ad- justments to the rear wheels as well as to the front in order to gain per- fect alignment. Wheel alignment, which means the angular relationships between the front and rear suspensions, steer- ing components, wheels and frame, is essential to proper handling of the vehicle. The council answers a few of the more commonly asked questions about this critical aspect of vehicle maintenance. What causes wheels to go out of alignment? The most common rea- sons are worn steering and suspen- sion parts or impact with curbs, chuck -holes or other obstructions. How can you be aware of a misa- lignment condition? Your first tip- offs are uneven tire wear and/or poor handling. An experienced technician can tell which aspects of alignment arc misadjusted merely by looking at the tread wear pattern of the tires. He also can tell by driving the car whether it pulls to one side or the other, if it fails to return properly to a straight -ahead position after a turn, or if it shakes or vibrates. How long should wheelrstay in alignment? Usually a year or more, says the council, if the car has good suspension components and if it has not been subjected to heavy im- pacts or accident damage. What are the benefits of keeping wheels aligned? The most obvious advantages are longer tire wear and better steering. But safer driving and better steering. But safer driving and better fuel economy are important too. A car with Misaligned- wheels has a higher rolling resistance, re- sulting in more work for the engine to keep the car in motion. • Will wheel alignment correct most steering and handling prob- lems? Most, but not all. A car can- not be aligned properly when parts are worn. Also, tires out of balance can cause shaking, which will be exaggerated when shock absorbers are weak. Even when everything is perfectly aligned, a car may steer or handle erratically due to imperfect or une- venly worn tires. Mon. - - .Wed.. April 25 April 27 7:00 p.m. - 9 p.m. (each evening) Please Pre -Register 262-3014 24 Hour Towing Wrecker Service prvii Bob Erb's Garage USED CAR SALES 30 Queen St. Hensall 262-3014 f With new car prices generally on the rise and people keeping their cars longer, the proverbial ounce of prevention may be worth even more than a pound of cure. Car Care Council says a well- maintained vehicle is worth IOOs of dollars more at trade-in time than a neglected one. Appearance condition is a big factor. Here's some advice offered by the Council on keeping up the appear- ance of your car 1. A weekly washing, with mild detergent or just cool water, is your first step. Don't do it in the hot sun and be sure you've rinsed off all de- tergent. 2. After your wash job, give your car a close examination for surface rust and paint chips. Cover them with wax or clear nail polish until you can repair them properly with primer and touch-up paint. 3. Wax your car whenever the paint begins to show dulling from the elements. Twice a year is a good practice. Use a good cleaner or mild rubbing compound before applying wax. 4. Give the car a thorough interior cleaning about once a month, more often if it begins to look dingy. This should include vacuuming of carpets and wiping off the uphol- stery with vinyl cleaner or mild up- holstery cleaner, depending upon the type of interior. Clean all glass with a product that leaves no film. Just as with a house, a car tends to accumulate dirt to a point where a cleaning job is much more diffi- cult than if it had been performed on a regular basis. 5. Keep your vinyl roof clean. Be- cause of the grain pattern, vinyl tends to collect dirt and road film, and should be scrubbed with a soft brush and vinyl or leather cleaner. Then apply a vinyl protective coat- ing, available at automotive supply stores. 6. Pay particular attention to signs of rust formation. Use chrome cleaner to remove surface rust. Then apply liquid wax. Advanced rusting, usually first indicated by bubbling of the paint, may have to be treated by removing the paint to the metal in that area and doing a spot prime and paint job. If you or the previous owner were wise enough to have invested in a quality rustproofing job when the car was new, you may not have to be concerned with more serious rusting from the inside. If you car is fairly new and has not been rustproofed, you may want to invest in this service to prevent future deterioration of the body. 7. Don't delay collision repairs. The longer you postpone having the damage taken car of, the more ex- pensive it will be because of the rusting of adjacent parts of the car. In conclusion, the Council sug- gests the possibility that the condi- tion of a car could be an indication of the owner's personality. If so, a little elbow grease might be an ef- fective way of enhancing one's im- age. Wiper blades wear out If you're a new car buyer dicker- ing on one of those leftover mod- els, ask the salesman to include an extra set of windshield wiper blades. This suggestion is based on the fact that the first parts likely to need replacement on a new car are the wiper blades. Sometimes they've lost their wiping ability before the owners takes delivery. The rubber part of the blade "wears out" more from the elements than from actual use. When a car sits for a long period of time on the dealer's lot, the natural rubber deteri- orates from the rays of the sun and from contaminants in the air. The blades turn brittle. Under New Management • Oil undercoating • Small engines • General repairs • Tune-ups Scott's Automotive Service & Repairs Hwy. #21 South Grand Bend 238-2454 1 • miles ford • !Q i �l fsj .A� 1;o d'' .. .alp 117.1' siti .'",t 9`' ENGINE TUNE-UP COUPON $1 9.95; Il Cyl. I I II $29.95 6cyI.1II I 1 $3995' 8 Cyl. 'Prices include Labour only. Parts extra. Non•Electronic Ignition $10.00 extra. L— — — — -- — J OIL FILTER COUPON Most Passenger Cars We'II change your engine oil lup to 5 litres'. install a new oil filter and inspect all levels. Price includes labour. CLEAN UP COUPON , $18.95 Plus TaJ L _ _ _ — J L ! INSTALLED'\lust (airs & Light"Frucks Offer Ends May 30th 1987* • 'Most Passenger Cars & Light Trucks Includes Exterior wash. whitewalls SHOCK ABSORBER COUPON Save wear and tear on expensive front end parts. as ell as tires. For that extra w smooth ride buy Motorcraft l Suretrackers. cleaned. car vacuumed ' FROM AS LOW AS & windows cleaned. 1 1 11 $1295 1 • Plus Tax1 $59.95 Call 235-0121. Nt Honour BRAKE COUPON 11 Il I 11 11 11 *Most Passenger Cars and Light Trucks FRONT $795 Install new Disc meads. Resurface both Rotors. Repack Front Bearings. Inspect all other Components I I RE in $69.95 • JI Call 235-0121 Install new Brake I Shoes. Resurlace both I Real' Drums. Install Spring Kits it I necessary. Inspect all other IComponents. Any additional parts and labour 1 1 required will be quoted before L work is started. _ _ _ J Check out our FREE Lifetime Service Guarantee. We fix cars for keeps! LIFETIME SERVICE GUA Other dealerships may offer you promises of good service, but my repairs are backed by our FREE lifetime Service Guarantee. Here's how it works. If we repair your Ford -built car, or light truck, you pay us once..And I guarantee that if that covered part ever fails or wears out, I'll fix it or replace it FREE FREE parts. FREE labour. It covers thousands of repairs and lasts as long as you own your car -no matter where you bought it or how old it is. So don't settle for empty promises when you can come to us and get our FREE Lifetime Service Guarantee. You won't find a better repair guarantee anywhere. Promise. This limited warranty covers vehicles in normal use. and excludes routine maintenance parts. belts. hoses. sheet metal and upholstery. "(1/11te o (5if.16" U6 " miles ford soles South Main St., Exeter 235-0121 Service Open Mon—Fri SAO a.m. — 5 p.m. Sales Mon—Thur 9:00 a.m. — 900 p.m. Fri—Sat 9:00 a.m. — 5 p.m.