Car Maintenance and Tips Year-Round Maintenance.
- Always consult the owners manual of
your vehicle for instructions.
- Check the oil level in your vehicle
weekly.
- Have the oil changed about every 3,000
to 5,000 miles.
- Change the windshield wipers when
they begin streaking during rain.
- Have your tires rotated and balanced
about every 5,000-6,000 miles.
- Keep a can of heavy duty puncture
seal that inflates and seals tires in seconds in your
trunk.
- Refer to owner's manual on operation
and location of jack and tools. Keep a set of jumper cables
in your vehicle.
Driving Safety.
- Do not drive while fatigued or under
medication.
- Do not drive while under the influence
of alcohol or drugs.
- Always yield to emergency vehicles
to the right.
- Do not stop vehicle between two converging
lanes (between on-ramp and interstate lanes)
- Always pull to the right if pulling
over to the side of the freeway.
- Check blind spot before changing lanes.
- Keep at least a 2-second distance
between you and the vehicle ahead of you.
- To prevent rear-end collisions, make
sure the vehicle ahead of you has left the intersection
before proceeding.
- If lost, go to a well-lit, populated
area for directions.
- Emergency Vehicle Safety ....
- In case of emergency, always pull
to the right shoulder of the road.
- Never stand next to moving traffic.
- Turn on emergency flashers.
- Raise your hood.
- If you must leave vehicle, leave piece
of white cloth around driver exterior mirror or in the
driver window to signify that vehicle is disabled.
- Do not stop on interstate or highway
for any reason other than emergency
- Notify the Local and/or State Patrol.
Here are some common
winterizing tips.
- Have the anti-freeze checked to ensure
that it is good for the minus 35 to 40 below Celsius winter
mornings.
- Change the oil to at least 10-30 or
5-20 weight.
- Have the battery terminals checked
to assure good cranking ability.
- Have your charging system checked
for adequate recharging capability.
- Test the block heater, battery, overnight
charger for battery (if needed) and all lights.
Helpful hints to assure
you get started and stay running.
- For fuel injected vehicles, follow
the manufacturers recommendations.
- In some cases they advise that you
don't pump the gas pedal.
- If you have a cell phone, keep it
charged in case you need to call us.
- If you don't get a quick start within
30 seconds, stop and rest the starter a minute.
- In order to conserve battery power,
turn the key off and make sure no other power source is
on.
- After a minute repeat the same procedure.
- If you still don't have any success,
call a tow truck. Persistence will only increase the risk
of damage to the starter and leave you're battery low.
- Frigid weather will then freeze the
battery, making it inadequate for the remainder of the
winter.
- If it does start, do not rev the engine.
- Let it idle at the setting specified
by the carburetor settings and allow a good 5 minutes
of warm up to assure proper oil and water circulation.
- If not warmed up long enough restarting
later can become difficult.
- If no success in starting, call a
tow truck.
Poor Winter Driving Conditions:
- Get a good set of winter tires, good
wipers and a good thermostat.
- Carry a shovel and gloves just in
case.
- If you get caught in a traffic jam,
put the wipers on pulse or right off, and turn the heater
down low or they will discharge the battery fast.
- If the traffic is stopped, put the
car in park and take you're foot off the brakes. This
will keep the idle high enough to allow the alternator
to charge properly and not sucking out more battery power
with the brake lights on.
- If you get stuck in the snow, don't
rev the engine too high or too long. This could cause
over heating which also over heats the transmission.You
may not notice any immediate damage but come summer you
might wonder why you're transmission just quit. It would
be cheaper to pay a tow truck a few dollars than a transmission
shop a few thousand dollars or more.
- Boosting on the newer cars you need
to read the owner's manual. In some cases it's not recommended
that you boost the car due to the computer and other electronics
in the car.Our trucks carry very heavy cables which allow
more current to pass through to recharge the battery.
Locked keys inside car
- Many people try to use a coat-hanger
or other strange device to enter into a vehicle. Not a
good idea . The damage that can occur inside the door,
on the doorjam, seal or glass can be quite expensive.
The price of a service call from a towtruck or locksmith
is a lot less than a bill from your fix-it shop or dealer.
Out of Gas Calls
- As of now, it is illegal for us to
carry fuel on our trucks to take to stranded vehicles,
it is also not covered by our insurance company. Our strict
policy is to simply tow the vehicle to the nearest fuel
station.
. We don't want to meet
you if we don't have to! So for now, we hope you have a safe
drive year-round. Do not ever attempt to pull you're vehicle
home with a rope or chain. Number one, the transmission wont
take it. Secondly, there is no control on a immobilized vehicle;
steering or braking let alone visibility. Besides, it is dangerous.
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