May 18, 2012

Deep Breathing In Merrimack: Engine Air Filter

Filed under: Engine Air Filter — autocarepl204 @ 5:52 pm

Deep Breathing In Merrimack Engine Air Filter

Your SUV engine really needs clean air to operate efficiently: it takes about twelve thousand gallons of air to burn a gallon of gas in your SUV engine. And clean air is much better than dirty.

When your air filter’s dirty, it simply can’t trap any more dirt, so the dirt just passes through into your air intake system. From there it can get into the SUV engine combustion chamber. And burning dust and pollen in your engine as you drive around Merrimack does you no good.

The verdict: When your engine air filter needs to be replaced; it needs to be replaced. How often depends entirely on how dirty the air is in Merrimack where you drive. A simple visual inspection by a caring Auto Care Plus technician will tell you when you need a new engine air filter in your SUV.

When you look at the air filter on your furnace in your Merrimack home and see it’s all clogged up with dust and dirt, you don’t hesitate to replace it. But don’t wait until your air filter (furnace or automobile) is totally plugged – by that time you’ve been running inefficiently in Merrimack for a lot of miles.

When your Auto Care Plus service technician brings out your nasty engine air filter, you now know why you should go ahead and change it out.

Give us a call

Auto Care Plus
603.429.1002
738 Daniel Webster Hwy
Merrimack, NH 03054

At Auto Care Plus in Merrimack NH (03054) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 603.429.1002. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 9, 2012

Getting The Right Wheels And Tires At Auto Care Plus In Merrimack

Filed under: Tires — autocarepl204 @ 5:51 pm

Getting The Right Wheels And Tires At Auto Care Plus In Merrimack

A lot of people in the Amherst 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 Auto Care Plus in Merrimack can ensure you get the right fit for your SUV. 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 SUV, you would need to focus on a wheel and tire combination that would fit. With trucks, some Merrimack people like much bigger tires so they need a suspension lift.

Also, most Merrimack 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 SUV 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 SUV vehicle control computer can be reprogrammed for the new tire size. At Auto Care Plus, we can give you information about control computer reprogramming.

Either way, there are hundreds of wheel and tire choices to choose from in Merrimack. You can pick the style of wheel you want and then talk with your Merrimack 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 caring Auto Care Plus tire specialist see your SUV in person so mistakes are not made.

At Auto Care Plus, we also offer alignment and windshield treatment.

Give us a call

Auto Care Plus
603.429.1002
738 Daniel Webster Hwy
Merrimack, NH 03054

At Auto Care Plus in Merrimack NH (03054) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 603.429.1002. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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May 3, 2012

Viva la Differential At Auto Care Plus

Filed under: Differential Service — autocarepl204 @ 5:41 pm

Viva la Differential At Auto Care Plus

With front-wheel drive being so common in Merrimack these days, the differential is just taken care of during a transmission service, so most Merrimack folks don’t even have to think about it. And most rear-wheel drive SUV 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 NH 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 SUV 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 Auto Care Plus technicians recommend intervals for replacing your differential fluid.

Your Auto Care Plus 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.

Merrimack four wheel drive SUVs 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 Auto Care Plus at different intervals.

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

Give us a call

Auto Care Plus
603.429.1002
738 Daniel Webster Hwy
Merrimack, NH 03054

At Auto Care Plus in Merrimack NH (03054) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 603.429.1002. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 24, 2012

Why Is My Check Engine Light On? Auto Care Plus Has Answers

Filed under: Check Engine Light — autocarepl204 @ 7:40 pm

Why Is My Check Engine Light On Auto Care Plus Has Answers

The Check Engine Light strikes fear into the hearts of some Merrimack drivers and is totally ignored by just as many. Just what it means is a mystery to most of us in NH.

First, if your SUV check engine light is flashing, that means that something is wrong that could cause severe damage to the catalytic converter or other components. Get that taken care of right away. If your check engine light is flashing, you shouldn’t drive at Merrimack highway speeds, tow or haul heavy loads. Take it easy all the way to Auto Care Plus in Merrimack.

If the light is glowing steadily, you should keep an eye on it for a day or two. If the light doesn’t go off, schedule an appointment with your Merrimack service advisor to get it checked out.

Some more information from Auto Care Plus on how the Check Engine Light works may be informative. Most of your SUV engine functions are controlled by a computer, not surprisingly, called an engine control computer. The computer is able to adjust many engine parameters for environmental conditions, engine condition and even the way you drive in Merrimack.

In order to make these adjustments, the SUV computer relies on a network of sensors to provide data. The computer knows the proper operating range for each sensor. When a sensor reading is out of range the computer runs some tests and may turn on the Check Engine Light.

The SUV computer will also try to make adjustments to compensate for some readings. If it can do so, it’ll then turn off the Check Engine Light.

If the problem can’t be resolved then the light will remain on and you should get your SUV looked at at Auto Care Plus. Your caring service technician will plug a scanner into the on-board diagnostic port and read the trouble code stored in the computer. The trouble code will give your Auto Care Plus technician a starting place as he diagnoses the cause of the problem.

At Auto Care Plus, we also offer alignment and windshield treatment.

Give us a call

Auto Care Plus
603.429.1002
738 Daniel Webster Hwy
Merrimack, NH 03054

At Auto Care Plus in Merrimack NH (03054) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 603.429.1002. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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April 20, 2012

Cooling System Service At Auto Care Plus

Filed under: Cooling System — autocarepl204 @ 7:28 pm

Cooling System Service At Auto Care Plus

Your SUV 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 SUV 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 Merrimack.

Without coolant, the SUV’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 Auto Care Plus in Merrimack. It could even be so bad that the whole engine is ruined and has to be replaced.

Also, if it’s freezing outside in Merrimack, the water in your engine could freeze while your vehicle is sitting out in the NH 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 Merrimack owner’s manual or ask your service advisor at Auto Care Plus in Merrimack.

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 Merrimack 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 Auto Care Plus: 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 caring Auto Care Plus service advisor or owner’s manual for the right kind because using the wrong coolant can void the warranty for your SUV cooling system.

Ask us about suspension service, windshield treatment and transmission service.

Give us a call

Auto Care Plus
603.429.1002
738 Daniel Webster Hwy
Merrimack, NH 03054

At Auto Care Plus in Merrimack NH (03054) we install quality NAPA replacement parts. Give us a call at 603.429.1002. To learn more about NAPA AutoCare, visit www.NAPAAutoCare.com.

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