Spring Prep Checklist! the must-do’s for getting your car ready for pollen season

Ahhhh the birds are chirping, grass is coming alive again, flowers are starting to bloom and the trees are waking up from a long winter’s slumber. Spring is close and with the warm temperatures and awakening landscape comes pollen. Here come the itchy eyes, sneezing fits and two months of green sticky layers all over our freshly washed cars.

As sensitive as we are to the overabundance of pollen in the air, so are our cars. Below is a must-do checklist to help prepare your car for pollen season and in turn, protect yourself and you’re passengers.

• Change your Cabin Filter: The cabin filter is a paper filter element that most cars are equipped with. It is designed to filter out the pollutants in the outside air as the air is drawn into the vehicle or recirculated through the vehicle. Your cabin filter should be checked at every oil change and replaced if needed. Using a dirty cabin filter will not only introduce pollutants and allergens into the vehicle but can also put a strain on the heating and air conditioning systems. The air circulated in your vehicle always passes through this filter, if it cannot pass easily it will strain the blower motor (the motor that powers the fans to circulate air) and cause added stress on the air conditioning compressor which can lead to excessive fuel consumption and premature failure.

• Change your Engine Air Filter: Much like the cabin filter cleans the air you breathe, the engine air filter cleans the air your engine breathes. And your engine loves clean air just as much as you do. The engine air filter is found in the engine bay of your car generally enclosed in a big plastic Air Box. It cleans the air that goes into the Air Intake of your engine. That air then flows into your engine and is compressed along with atomized fuel to perform the combustion process that allows your engine to “run”. The air box and air filter is designed to trap any small particulate from being introduced to the interior parts of your engine. You may find things like leaves and sand in the air box and dust particulate in the filter. If the air filter is not clean, it will not allow your engine to operate at optimal performance therefore robbing you of power and unnecessary fuel consumption. Keeping your engine air filter clean will help keep your engine running well and keep it healthy which in turn will make you happy.

o   Keep in mind there are a variety of different types of engine air filters available. Paper elements are the most common as well as washable filters. Speak with your technician to find out what type of filter is right for you.

• Check your windshield wipers, replace if needed:  After being exposed to ice, salt and harsh winter temperatures, your windshield wipers may need to be replaced. Check for cracking in the rubber as well as bits missing off the blade. The wiper blade should always be flush to the windshield across its whole surface. If the blade is not operating properly, you may see water lines across your windshield or missed patches when operating. As we come in the rainy season, it is very important for your windshield wipers to be operating at optimal performance so you can see properly when driving.

o   As wiper blade technology has advanced in recent years, there are a variety of different types of wiper blades available at competitive prices. Not sure which one is right for you? Discuss it with your technician and they will help you find the right blade for the environments you drive in.

• Adjust your tire pressure: If you use snow tires on your vehicle, it’s safe to say now is the time to put them away until next winter. If you don’t, now is the time to check your tire pressure and adjust if needed. It’s a good idea to check the air pressure in your tires at any major change in air temperature. Quick trip back to high school chemistry, as the air temperature decreases, the molecules group closer together, as the air temperature increases, the molecules group farther apart. There are a few reasons why tire pressure is so important.

o   Your tires are designed to operate at optimal performance at the pressure indicated on the sidewall of the tire. Extreme over inflation can lead to a blow-out, less extreme over inflation can lead to excessive wear on the center part of the tires, under inflation can lead to excessive wear on the outside parts of the tire and extreme under inflation can lead to internal damage to the tire and possible the rim it is mounted to.

o   If your tires are overinflated or underinflated, its performance in dry weather is hindered and can severely affect its performance in the rain. This can increase the likely-hood of hydroplaning and loss of control of your vehicle.

o   If your tires are inflated to the proper air pressure it will also negatively impact your gas mileage. If its underinflated, the tire will cause more “drag” to the road surface therefore causing your engine and transmission to work harder to rotate the tire.

• Check your tire tread wear: In addition to properly inflating your tires, you should check the height of your tire tread and check for even wear. Every tire has wear indicators in its grooves. If the tread is very close to the wear indicator, it’s almost time for new tires. Running tire tread too low can result in poor performance, persistent flats and worse, a blow-out. Uneven tread wear can be indicative of an out-of spec wheel alignment or a potential suspension problem. Regular tire rotations can help promote even tread wear on all four tires. A wheel alignment can also help “even out” uneven tread wear. If you see one side of the tire is wearing excessively while the other side looks brand new, bring it to your technician to help decided what is the best approach to correcting the problem.

• Change over your washer fluid: If you use a de-icing formula washer fluid, it’s a good idea to run that tank down to empty and refill with a bug removing formula. As the little critters are waking up along with the plants and trees, they will be swarming on the roads and most likely colliding with your windshield. This is the season to make sure you have a good formulated washer fluid to help get the mess off your windshield helping you maintain a clear view of the road ahead of you.

Stay tuned for more exciting tips to help maintain a happy and healthy vehicle!

How to Thank your car for its loyal service this winter

As winter's coming to a close and mother nature sends us her last reminders of who's boss, the promise of warmer temperatures is welcoming to us and our cars. 

The harsh temperatures, poor weather conditions and degrading road conditions are not only hard on you as a person, but are just as hard on your car. Here are Bill Marino Auto Repair, we like to show our beloved cars and trucks our appreciation for keeping us warm when it was 10 degrees outside and helping us battle unplowed snow covered roads so we could get to work and help our customers in need. 

How do you thank something that can't understand the meaning behind those words? This a case of actions speak louder than words. 

• Pamper your car or truck with a good thorough washing. All that salt and sand caked in its frame rails and under-body can be very caustic over time. If not cleaned out, rust and rot can occur and slowly eat away the vital components designed to keep you safe. Going to a car wash is a good idea, they are designed to pressure wash the under carriage and get all that grime out. If you are not a fan of car washes, using a high pressure hose and thoroughly rinsing the underside will suffice.

• Check out the undercoating on your vehicle. Rocks and gravel kicked up from pot holes can damage and crack the protective layer of rubberized undercoating allowing water to seep in and get trapped. This can result in rot holes which will eat away at the floor panels in your car. If rot holes are found in time, they can easily be fixed by cutting out that section, replacing the metal and re-coating. We've done this for a number of vehicles, including one of our own. 

• Give your car a good waxing. After washing all the salt and road grime that's been covering your car for the last 3 months, its good to give your paint a fresh coat of wax to not only protect it from the sun exposure coming but the rain and pollen as well. Your car will be so happy to have its shine back too! If time doesn't permit you to use a traditional wax, we recommend Lucas Spray Wax. Its fast and easy to use and doesn't leave a streaky residue behind.

• Now that the exterior looks shiny and pretty, its a good idea to give the interior a good once over. 
• I use baby wipes to clean the interior panels and headliner. They're a good alternative and are safe on most surfaces. (and they do a really good job of getting coffee off your dashboard ;-) 
• I also forgo the Armor All and use Pledge instead to give the dash and door panels a nice shine that doesn't leave a sticky residue or glare on the windshield. A little trick I learned from a friend and have been using it ever since. It also won't promote drying or cracking of the soft plastic if not kept up on.  It also repels dust, not attract it.
• When cleaning your windows be careful if you have tint. You should not use windex or other ammonia based cleaners as they will leave a haze on the tint, promote "bubbling" and discoloration over time. We prefer Stoner Brand "Clean as Glass" It leaves glass and tint clean, streak free, haze free and is safe for tint.
• If your like me, your best furry friend goes everywhere with you. With shedding season upon us the hair will be flying and stuck to every possible surface in your car. I have cloth seats and the constant vacuuming is very harsh on the fibers. If you have access to compressed air, the best thing to do is blow out all the loose hair and dirt. Wear eye protection so nothing ricochets and hurts your eyes. Use a rubber glove to wipe the hair from the seats and air behind it to blow it out. If you don't have access to an air compressor, use your gloved hand to wipe the hair free and the vacuum to suck it up. Try to avoid dragging the vacuum on the fabric surfaces as much as possible. A good seat cover doesn't hurt to help contain the mess as well. 

•  Your trunk is not free from sin! All those extra pairs of boots, hats, sweatshirts, jackets, gloves and every thing else we lose in our trunks add up to a lot of pounds. Extra weight equates to robbed fuel economy. Empty out your trunk of all the unnecessary pounds you've been carrying and you'd be surprised how much money you can save. I once carried around 40 pounds in bowling balls and another 15 pounds in bowling equipment for a month. Out of sight, out of mind. I couldn't figure out why my gas mileage dropped from 29 mpg to 27 mpg. I emptied my trunk and was back to 29 mpg and very happy. 

•  Check your tire pressure. The changes in air density as the temperatures rise and barometric pressure changes affect the air pressure in your tires. You'll find you have a lower air pressure when it gets colder and higher pressures when it gets warmer. Even and appropriate amounts of air pressure will help not only with achieving good traction and even wear, but will also allow your tires to perform for optimal fuel economy.

Coming soon to a blog near you... "Spring prep checklist!" A list of must-do's in gearing your car up for the upcoming pollen season.