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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1996-10-30, Page 8Times -Advocate, October 30,1. ,p¢ Page 7 Choosing the correct blade Is Important Dave Keys prepares a car for a four wheel alignment with a Bear CCD 3000 alignment machine at Exeter Chrysler Jeep/Eagle. If your vehicle tends to shake, pull to one side or you notice abnormal tire wear its time for an alignment. Suspension and alignment John BIlcke Service Manager Exeter Chrysler Ltd. Have you ever experienced your vehicle having these symptoms? - hard steering — car pulls to one side -'excessive play in steering -instability - excessive and abnormal tire weal All these symptoms and others are good reasons to have yoi. • front and rear suspension and alignment inspected. The purpose of proper working front and rear suspension and front and rear end alignment are to provide you the driver maximum safety, ease of handling, stability and directional control as well as better tire wear and in- creasing fuel economy by lowering rolling resistance. Different makes and models require different settings recommended by vehicle manufacture to achieve these above statements. The service staff at Exeter Chrysler has had many years of front and rear end alignment experience. It's bad enough that your windshield washer fluid is freezing on your windshield, now the wipers are only moving the dirt around. What can you do? It starts with choosing the right wiper blades. Hardly anybody thinks about the wiper blades -- after all, they won't cost you big bucks at the service outlet. Well, they might cost you big bucks at the body shop. Defensive driving instructors will tell you that vision of the road and the traffic around you is your most potent defence against collisions. Keeping a clean windshield is a good start. Just as there is seasonal windshield washer fluid, there are seasonal and high performance wiper blades. The Car Care Council recommends switching blades every six months, in the spring and fall. Winter wiper blades are typically well -protected against ice and snow build up so that the rubber wiping blade remains flat on the windshield. The rubber used has better cold weather performance, too. Living in a fine climate is no guarantee against wiper blade deterioration -- even sunlight can cause the rubber to age and crack in a relatively short time. Common problems to watch out for: Give your car a brake Discs. Drums. Power assist. ABS. Why does life have to be so complicated? Well, it's not so bad. It all depends on friction -- the friction between the brake pad and the lining in a drum or the rotor of a disc brake, and the friction between the tires and the road. When you press down on the brake pedal, that creates pressure in the master cylinder. This is passed through the brake lines to the brakes. If you have power or power assisted brakes, you don't have to press as hard on the pedal to get the same braking effect. In a drum brake, the brake shoes inside the drum press outward against the brake lining to create the stopping force. It's an enclosed unit that's relatively inexpensive to maintain. Disc brakes are like bicycle brakes -- the calipers pinch the disc, or rotor, to create the stopping force. Because of their better heat rejection, disc brakes offer up to three times more stopping power than drums. That's why most cars have discs on the front, where most of the stopping work is done, and drums on the rear. Because of the heat generated in braking, pads used to be made with asbestos. Newer metallic materials have done away with asbestos and its harmful dust. The fluid in the master cylinder is the medium that translates your pedal pressure into brake pressure. It absorbs water very easily, so if you have to add fluid, use a fresh container. And use only the approved brake fluid described in your owner's manual, How do you know when it's time for a brake job? If your brakes squeal or make a grinding noise, or if you feel a lot of vibration or grabbing, it's time for a check up. If your brake pedal sinks to the floor, or feels spongy, you may be low on fluid or have a leak in the system. Car Care Canada notes that nearly half of Canadian drivers SEAT BELTS SAVE rank brake failure as their number one fear of mechanical failure. And what do they do about it? Only 20% identified brakes as a system that should be checked regularly. You should rotate your tires every 10,000 km or so to make them last. When the car is on the hoist and the tinesare off, that's an ideal time to do a little preventive maint ance and get your brakes check. Brakes can last 60,000 km or more -- or they can need replacement after 10,000 - 15,000 km. Don't let this simple maintenance item slide, or the next sound you hear could be the crunch of a collision. If you like paying for brake jobs, here's how: 1. Race up to stop signs and slam on the brakes. 2. Ride your brakes -- use your right foot on the gas and rest your left on the brake pedal while you drive. This will also confuse the drivers behind you, because your brake lights will be on all the time and they'll have no warning when you really want to stop. 3. Stay really close to the car in front so you have to be on your brakes a lot to match every little change in speed. 4. Ignore those warning signs, like chirping brakes or grinding noises. Then a simple pad replacement becomes a full replacement of rotors and linings and costs hundreds more. Can you economize on brake jobs? Absolutely. Car Care Canada suggests,a simple five point program that could save you " hundreds of dollars over the life of your car: 1. Preventive maintenance. Every 10,000 km or so, when you get your tires rotated, have your brakes inspected. 2. Don't neglect your parking brake. Using it regularly will keep the cable from seizing up, and will reduce your need for repairs. 3. Quality materials. Cheap stuff is a false economy that you'll pay more fcr in more frequent brake jobs and inferior performance. 4 Driving techniques. Keep a buffer space between you and the car in front, and use it to slow down on the engine so you don't have to use the brakes as often. 5. System flush, Once a year, have a full brake inspection, including all lines and hoses, and replace the brake fluid with fresh fluid. cracked or split rubber -- usually caused by ultraviolet rays or overly aggressive ice removal pitted, scarred, or discoloured rubber -- usually caused by salt removing chemicals torn rubber -- where the rubber blade has pulled away from the arm and is slipping out or slapping against the glass chattering or squeaking sound as the blades work -- usually caused by blades warped through infrequent use or exposure to strong sunlight - the blades take on a permanent curvature, instead of conforming to your windshield worn rubber -- old blades will exhibit rounded or ragged edges, which will not clean properly windshield streaking -- can result from tree sap or road tar on the blades, from cracked, inflexible rubber, or from blades clogged with snow or ice. So how do you get the best performance from your windshield wipers? First, clean off the whole windshield -- don't try to look through a porthole. Gently remove ice from around the wiper blade, t and make sure the arm can move freely. Clean the snow off the hood, too -- otherwise, it will wind up in your face as soon as you drive away. Before your car has come up to operating temperature, your ability to melt that snow on the windshield is limited, and it will likely smear. The same holds true for the roof of your car or van -- that snow will wind up all over your rear window, and cause difficulty with your rear window wiper (if you have one). Personally Selected Cars & Trucks Reconditioned, winter car, fully serviced, 6 month or 10,000 K., power train warranty 1990 Chev Lumina Euro 138 K., V6, auto, tilt cruise, PS, PB, PW, PPL, AM/FM cass. A/C. $8995.00 1991 Pont. Sunbird LE, 4 cyl.., 4 dr. A/C, 97 K. $6850.00 1988 Buick Park Ave., 4 dr. 190 k., loaded. $4450.00 OilOkkks 7111" 1993 Plymouth Acclaim, V6, 4 dr., 75 K., A/C, cruise, tilt AM/FM cass. Factory warranty. $8995.00 1987 Merc Cougar LE, 2 dr., 152 K., auto cruise, tilt, AM/FM cass., PW, PPL, $3995.00 1993 Aerostar XL at., 7 pass. auto, 82 k., A/C, tilt cruise, AM/FM cass. Special $10,900. AUTO WORLD 141 Main St. Exeter 235-1800„ ON OR OFF ROAD, THESE PRICES WILL A4114; STEER ,U WRONG. MICHELIN LTX M/S Famous Michelin ride and durability in an all season radial for light trucks. �� 3 MICHELIN MICHELIN LTX JUT we 4 5.1•ew/.1 19034 7 The all -terrain radial that combines rugged off-road durability with a quiet, comfortable Michelin ride. BECAUSE SO MUCH IS RIDING ON YOUR TIRES. HAUGH TIRE inc. 265 Thames Rd. East, Exeter 235-3752 262-2926 Ether 'enc Service Toll free 1-416-551-1860 LIMILaLaLMIIM7taulaaaSMMALU '{ 191.7gmaLIWIA U' LW•ElatitacactL7tAg41taLILYtaa1l41- 1-1g ' ggt tAIXLIMIltaL Int gglALISagEaL7Ut-IL'LgatalaraLatasaLiL'L ( HR)1 _ER FIVE STAR SERVICE 7)( HELPS YOU PREPARE FOR THE COLD WEATHER ASSAULT. "Nobody knows your Chrysler vehicle like your Chrysler Dealer." • OIL & FILTER CHANGE 1999 Includes: •Up to 51 of Mopar Premium Oil •Mopar Oil Filter •15 point inspection •Lube OUR FIVE STAR GUARANTEE' 'READY WHEN PROMISED ... OR YOU DON'T PAY!" Applrotbte to roost (nr,.i; r (.1 1,1 .., r , s for dc1.0s Peace -of -mind driving inspection WM pinthase of a Lube. W 1 !ares our weanr factory. trailed tec nldans _Z • Rave 4 rues • Inspect sntifee,a • Prcywre tett. check hoses and clamps. water pump. redhtot clutch fanelectrtc fan • Check and Ad os+ mem drive belts • Check coolant condition and strength • Inspect front and leu Mie slue,. • Inspect all R.td levels • "sweet exhaust system • Muffins cIulrtic convenes pipes. man fold .uk ts. hewn ed dsenps • tr•pcct Itepnr on • Sisals. atnu. poser Netting components, how and steering Inis fe • krpect a ectrkal mstern • Dattcr , •ipen..ahcn. hoes tights. block hater and clean betters tennnats • Rood tees and report molts 99 Peace of Mind Driving* COOLING SYSTEM TUNE-UP Incltda:•F1usb rind drain of the coating system • btaaUation o(up to 6litrci Mopar Ft,ur•Scstson Arnifrcc:cK;oolant •Itulxct$M99 raJatnc tx•IL. anJ latecs •f'kax uk yuu• Service Advisor her Jctais CALL US FOR AN APPOINTMENT THAT IS CONVENIENT FOR YOU. 12 Months/Unlimited Mc trt?Igc Parts Warranty' Offer in a tset tII Nov.110/*6 EXETER CHRYSLER LTD. 136 Main St. Exeter Ont. Phone: 2354526 8a.m.-8:30p.m. Mon --Fri. iIT tart 416.