May 16, 2012

Phoenix Drivers: Is Nitrogen Right for Your Tires?

Filed under: Tires — hargrav839 @ 4:20 pm

Phoenix Drivers: Is Nitrogen Right for Your Tires?

Should Phoenix drivers use nitrogen in their tires? Air’s air, right? Well it turns out there is a difference. At the heart of the matter is maintaining proper tire inflation. When your Sedan tires are properly inflated, they last longer, handle better and more safely and they save money at Phoenix gas pumps.

The problem is that tires filled with air can lose a pound and a half of air pressure every month. This just happens as the oxygen in the tire seeps out as you drive around Phoenix. So if you don’t check your pressure for a month or two you can be significantly low – low enough to affect handling, shorten tire life and waste money at the fuel pump. Tires filled with nitrogen will take about six months to lose as much pressure as regular air does in a month. So it’s more forgiving of those Phoenix drivers who don’t check their pressure every week.

Also, oxygen at higher temperatures – like those inside your tire when you’ve been driving for a while – oxidizes the inside of your tire. Getting the oxygen out of your tire means that it’ll last longer.

So who’s using nitrogen? Let’s start with NASCAR and Indy. These racers like nitrogen’s ability to maintain consistent tire pressure and reduce tire temperatures under very demanding conditions. The U.S. government requires all commercial aircraft to have nitrogen in their tires. NASA and the U.S. Military use nitrogen. The mining industry has been filling those ginormous tires with nitrogen for years. AZ Semi-trucks and trailers are starting to use nitrogen extensively. These guys chart everything they do and they invest in the benefits of nitrogen.

The good news is that nitrogen fill doesn’t cost very much or take long at Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair in Phoenix. It doesn’t affect your tire warranty. If you decide that nitrogen is right for your Sedan tires, remember that it’s still important to check your tire pressure regularly. You might have a leak that needs to be fixed. And you can always top your tire off with regular air if you need to.

If you have questions about nitrogen, Belts or Transmission Flush, give David George a call at Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair in Phoenix. We’ve been providing professional automotive services in Phoenix for 66 years.

Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair
602.956.3760
1934 E Indian School Road
Phoenix, AZ 85016

At Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair in Phoenix AZ (85016) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 602.956.3760. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 8, 2012

Viva la Differential At Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair

Filed under: Differential Service — hargrav839 @ 8:21 pm

Viva la Differential At Hargrave's Collision & Mechanical Repair

With front-wheel drive being so common in Phoenix these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Phoenix folks don’t even have to think about it. And most rear-wheel drive Sedan differentials don’t need to be serviced for many miles, so it’s understandable that it’s not something on the top of mind. So it’s not uncommon for AZ people to not know they have a differential let alone know that it needs service.

To better understand what a differential does, think about a high school track. There are lanes marked off on the track. For the longer distance races, the starting lines are staggered. The starting lines for the outside lanes are ahead of the starting lines for the inside lanes. That’s to compensate for the longer length of the outside lanes. Staggering the starting lines means that each runner has the same distance to run.

The differential compensates for the difference in speeds on drive wheels between the inside wheel and the outside wheel in a turn, because they have to travel together through slightly different distances.

Many Sedan differentials do a lot of work and require very heavy duty parts. And those parts need protection. The differential fluid lubricates the gears in the differential and keeps them cool. The fluid eventually gets dirty and worn down. Some kinds of differentials require special additives that break down over time. So manufacturers and Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair technicians recommend intervals for replacing your differential fluid.

Your Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair service technician will drain the used fluid and check it out for metal bits, which could be a sign of excessive wear on the gears. He’ll then replace the fluid and install the additives if necessary.

Phoenix four wheel drive Sedans need special attention to their differentials because they have a differential on both the front and rear axles that work at different times and sometimes under heavy loads – so they may need to be serviced at Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair at different intervals.

Your Phoenix service advisor can look up the manufacturer’s recommended service interval or you can check your Sedan owner’s manual.

Give us a call

Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair
602.956.3760
1934 E Indian School Road
Phoenix, AZ 85016

At Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair in Phoenix AZ (85016) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 602.956.3760. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 4, 2012

Getting The Right Wheels And Tires At Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair In Phoenix

Filed under: Tires — hargrav839 @ 8:14 pm

Getting The Right Wheels And Tires At Hargrave's Collision & Mechanical Repair In Phoenix

A lot of people in the Phoenix 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 Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair in Phoenix 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 Phoenix people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Phoenix 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 Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair, we can give you information about control computer reprogramming.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in Phoenix. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Phoenix 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 Friendly Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair tire specialist see your Sedan in person so mistakes are not made.

At Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair, we also offer Belts and Transmission Flush.

Give us a call

Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair
602.956.3760
1934 E Indian School Road
Phoenix, AZ 85016

At Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair in Phoenix AZ (85016) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 602.956.3760. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 27, 2012

Wheel Alignment Service At Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair In Phoenix

Filed under: Alignment — hargrav839 @ 4:08 pm

Wheel Alignment Service At Hargrave's Collision & Mechanical Repair In Phoenix

When all of a vehicle’s wheels are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Hitting a road hazard in Phoenix or even just the normal bumps and bounces of everyday AZ 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 Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical 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. Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair alignment service starts with an inspection of the steering and suspension – so see if anything’s bent, broken or worn out. Then the Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical 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 Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair before you suffer expensive tire or suspension damage.

Give us a call

Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair
602.956.3760
1934 E Indian School Road
Phoenix, AZ 85016

At Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair in Phoenix AZ (85016) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 602.956.3760. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 19, 2012

Cooling System Service At Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair

Filed under: Cooling System — hargrav839 @ 6:25 pm

Cooling System Service At Hargrave's Collision & Mechanical Repair

Your Sedan cooling system’s job is to keep your engine cool. Coolant (also called antifreeze) mixed with water flows through your engine and absorbs heat. The mixture then flows out to the radiator where it’s cooled by air flowing over the radiator. From there the cooled mix circulates back through the Sedan engine to absorb more heat.

Coolant, or antifreeze, is specially formulated to keep your engine safe in a wide range of environmental and operating temperatures in Phoenix.

Without coolant, the Sedan’s metal engine parts would expand so much that the engine would seize up and stop running.  Expensive parts could be broken or warp so badly they would have to be replaced at Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair in Phoenix. It could even be so bad that the whole engine is ruined and has to be replaced.

Also, if it’s freezing outside in Phoenix, the water in your engine could freeze while your vehicle is sitting out in the AZ cold. This is why you check coolant levels frequently and have your cooling system inspected for leaks. Also your manufacturer has a maintenance requirement for draining and replacing your coolant. These recommendations can vary widely, so check your Phoenix owner’s manual or ask your service advisor at Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair in Phoenix.

The reason you need to change the coolant is that it has additives in it to protect the cooling system. As you can imagine, with all the heat, the cooling system’s a pretty harsh environment. The additives keep the fluid from becoming corrosive and damaging the radiator and other Phoenix cooling system components. Over time, the additives are depleted and the coolant just has to be replaced. A simple pH test can measure the coolant’s acidity.

You may have noticed that there are different colors of antifreeze at Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair: it is very important that you use the correct type.  The different coolant types are different colors so you don’t mix them up.  Manufacturers use different materials to make the cooling system, and they require different types of antifreeze to protect them.

So check with your Friendly Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair service advisor or owner’s manual for the right kind because using the wrong coolant can void the warranty for your Sedan cooling system.

Ask us about European Cars, Transmission Flush and timing belt replacement.

Give us a call

Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair
602.956.3760
1934 E Indian School Road
Phoenix, AZ 85016

At Hargrave’s Collision & Mechanical Repair in Phoenix AZ (85016) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 602.956.3760. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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