Archive for December, 2010

Nissan Maxima Parts Deliver Maximum Performance

Nissan has always prided itself on giving its customers great style, performance and value for money. Their cars have been awaited keenly and find quick takers. The Nissan Maxima is no different.

The latest model of the Nissan Maxima on the roads is the 2009 model. On the surface, it looks a lot like the Infiniti G and also a little like the Infiniti M. What sets his car apart is an upgraded version of the navigation interface and an iPod interface system which can be made available on request. This works with the monitor of the main console and also the controls of the steering wheel.

The engine has been designed to produce an improved horsepower of 290 and it also has a 261 pound per foot torque. There is also a variable transmission with a paddle shift. There is no availability of manual gears. The diesel version of this car was slated for release this year, although the roads have not experienced this car so far.

The original model of the Maxima was a lot taller and longer as well. Today, this has been exchanged with more stylish designs that help to make this car look more stylish and elegant. It is a little wider, though.

The Maxima has a push button start as opposed to the conventional method that uses a key. It can make it from zero to sixty miles in just over five and a half seconds. It takes about one hundred and twenty five feet before it can get from sixty to a grinding halt.

It is certain that Nissan loyalists will find this car a wonderful buy regardless of the minor flaws. It is a beauty to own, and a pleasure to drive. You cannot miss this one!

By Susan K Carter

Time To Get An Oil Change – Signs And Symptoms

The oil change is probably the most important part of your car’s maintenance. All too often we forget to have it done, and the consequences for your car can be devastating. It’s a simple operation that you can either do yourself, or take to a shop and have done professionally. No matter how busy you are, you should never skip it. The damage to your car can be serious.

Why Do I Need To Change my Oil?

In order to understand why you need an oil change, let’s look at what motor oil does for your car. There are two main purposes – one, it keeps everything lubricated. It covers all the parts of the engine with a thin film that keeps them from rubbing together. Two, it removes chemicals, bit of metal and other impurities from the engine.

What happens if you don’t get an oil change? Because they’ll lose their lubrication, the parts of your engine will rub together and cause friction. This not only wears down the parts of the engine, but it also causes excess heat, which can result in your vehicle overheating. If the motor oil gets old and dirty, it can no longer remove impurities. This sludge will build up in the engine, and eventually it will have to be cleaned by a professional mechanic.

How Often Do I Need An Oil Change?

In general, you should get an oil change every 7,500 miles. However, this depends on how much you drive. If you spend lots of time driving, you should consider getting it done more often – something like every 6,000 miles. For example, if you use your vehicle every day for work driving across town, or if you make lots of cross country trips in your car, you should consider doing it more often.

In fact, it never hurts to have it done more often. You can greatly prolong the life of your car by taking it in for an oil change every 5,000 miles. This will definitely ensure that your car is running cleanly and smoothly.

Signs That You Need An Oil Change

You can often tell that motor oil is old and dirty by simply looking at it. Fresh motor oil is clear and dark brown or amber in color. Older motor oil that needs to be changed is dark and murky. It doesn’t take an expert mechanic’s eye to see that how dark and dirty motor oil can be. When you’re checking your motor oil, take a good look and see how it looks, especially if it’s been 5,000 or so miles since your last oil change. Another sign is that your motor oil level is constantly lower than it should be. Most cars also have an engine oil light that will tell you when it’s getting to be time for a change.

Getting an oil change is easy and inexpensive. It’s a regular part of your car’s maintenance that you shouldn’t skip out on. Check your motor oil level each time you fuel up, and keep track of how many miles it’s been so that you don’t forget. Skipping your much-needed oil change can really damage your car; so make sure you get it done.

By Anna Woodward

Car Repair – 5 Popular Reasons You Need It

Regardless of what’s going on in your life, usually you will need a dependable vehicle. So to ensure you always have a good-running ride, be sure to make car repair a priority on your to-do list. There are numerous reasons to get your vehicle in a body shop. Explore them below.

Need to pass inspection
If you do not want to get a ticket or fine, you should have an up-to-date inspection sticker on your vehicle. In order to get one, your vehicle has to pass a number of tests. To make sure you pass with flying colors, be sure to get all necessary car repair work before trying to go in for an inspection. This way, you can all but guarantee you’ll get the sticker you need.

Want to sell your car
In order to get the most money for your vehicle when trying to sell it, you need to make sure it’s in decent condition. While this isn’t to say that every minor detail has to be perfect, it does mean the vehicle should be working well if you plan to make a good profit. So, to help keep things running over the years, do not hold off on any type of vehicle care. This way, when the time does come for you to sell, you won’t have a laundry list of problems to fix.

Plan to keep your vehicle for a while
Wanting to prolong the life of your vehicle means you’ll have to take really good care of it. You should of course take a look at your tires, get tune ups and more. Yet it’s also essential to make sure you get your oil changed, brakes checked as well as general services. All these things will help you keep your vehicle for the long haul as well as reduce the need for car repair. While you may think it costs a lot of money to keep up your vehicle with regular maintenance, it’s even more expensive to have to fix something that could have been prevented.

Notice problems
Hearing odd sounds or noticing how your vehicle fails to ride as smoothly as it once did, can make you be on the alert for vehicle repair. While this may seem like a hard thing to swallow, it can actually be good to know that you have some type of warning signs that something is going on. There could be something majorly wrong, and you may not know it since you don’t see or hear anything. So if for some reason your vehicle is making noise, you should have it checked out at your earliest convenience.

Worried about your safety
One of the most important reasons to get car repair is the simple fact that you’re concerned about how safe your vehicle is or isn’t. When you get in your ride, you want to feel confident that you can get from point A to point B without any issues. Yet, if every time you get in your vehicle, you hear things or feel things that make your heart race, then it may be time to get your vehicle into a shop so that experts can pinpoint the problem.

By Alfred Ardis

The Quality of Overseas Engine Parts

One of the greatest difficulties in the automotive engine rebuilding industry is finding the correct engine parts to accomplish a comprehensive rebuild. Although many aftermarket internal engine part manufacturers are available, over the last several years we have observed major development in offshore manufacturing. This presents specific problems for engine builders and automotive enthusiasts.

There is no question that a worldwide transfer of manufacturing has occurred. China is the main benefactor of the reduction in USA production. Even though this supplies distinct short-term financial relief for folks building their automotive engines, the permanent ramifications are diminished parts accessibility, quality declines and extended waiting periods to acquire bought components.

The tolerances of engine components manufactured overseas normally aren’t held to the same specifications as they are in the USA. Whether it is tooling wear from mass manufacturing, or the inability to complete finishing, a lot of the machined engine parts made in China are substandard and outside accepted tolerances. This pushes many local automotive machine shops to undertake the finish machining themselves to make sure that their reconditioned engines will perform as intended and tolerate many years of use.

Just lately, we had a a new imported engine block delivered to our auto garage that was made in China. There was casting sand in a few non-critical sections of the engine block. The piston cylinders were outside of specifications and there was a bit of rust on the crankshaft main caps. Though these conditions were quickly repaired, the fee to the client increased dramatically because the cylinder block needed to be bored and honed once more. Fortunately this customer didn’t pay for pistons beforehand, because the standard bore pistons couldn’t work in the engine block after it was bored oversize.

The challenge when acquiring engine blocks, and associated internal engine parts from overseas vendors, is they aren’t close by if a problem arises. Unquestionably we could have refused the engine block, although the fee to deliver it back to China would have been more costly then the repairs that were performed.

Being unable to contact a nearby or domestic business to support components used in rebuilt engines is a difficult problem for some specialized automotive machine shops. Many of these shops work hard to build extremely high quality engines. But when faced with a shrinking domestic manufacturing base, they are finding that producing quality work is becoming more difficult and more costly in the end for their valued customers. This is part of the reason why so many local machine shops are letting their customers know that by building their engines locally, and supporting domestic engine part manufactures when able, each customer is helping to preserve an industry that can be utilized by future generations.

By Ken Radigan

When to Perform a Car Tune Up

You may be faced by several car troubles that might give you signs that you need to undergo an auto tune up. Hassle it may seem, you should be aware that these should be taken care of as soon as possible. Here are some signs that you need to stop by for a tune-up:

Head Start. A head start happens if your car got zero maintenance. This issue is common and can be traced to an electronic component or a computer that has control over the ignition system.

Ignition Knock. If you hear an ignition knock when you are in the process of accelerating or climbing, car specialists may suggest to have your car undergo an auto tune-up. Knocking may also occur when there is a carbon buildup inside your engine. Although there are cars that are designed with a knock sensor that conducts corrective measures, they are not made to adjust serious disorder that may lead to bad engine performance or worst engine damage.

Power Loss. A filter that has not been changed for a long time may cause power loss. Other than this factor, there still exist a number of reasons for auto power loss which often can be detected if a diagnostic task is performed.

Exhaust Odor. Another engine problem is exhaust odor. The catalytic converter of your car may not be functioning well that is why this ‘rotten egg’ smell happens.

An engine may run ineffectively due to fuel malfunction, ignition error or even piston or bad valves which are internal engine conditions.

Car owners can tell if their cars are efficient by a simple computation of gas mileage which is equal to miles driven divided by gallons of gas used. If their car has a poor gas mileage, then it is time to consult a technician. There are factors that can cause this issue such as transmission malfunction, misaligned wheels, engine running too cold, dragging brakes and inflated tires.

If you observe that your engine chugs and coughs for quite a few seconds after shutting off the ignition, this can be dieseling. Reasons behind this trouble vary from inferior gas to excessive idle speed.

All of these concerns may be solved by undergoing a car tune-up. And no other auto service center does it better than Muffler Man Auto Service Center in Grand Rapids, Ludington & Big Rapids Michigan! We make sure that our clients get back their cars with an added protection from these common car hassles! At Muffler Man Auto Service Center, we have qualified technicians that will efficiently conduct tune-up’s for your vehicle! Visit us now!

By Charlene S