Damaged Vacuum breather on Gas Intake Tube.

It’s true, your engine or vehicle is a great location for critters to find a warm place to sleep. Unfortunately for this customer, they were trying to keep their vehicle parked in the shade under a tree and it was a direct invite for a rat’s nest. We’re not sure how long the vehicle was there but it was long enough for these wonderful critters to cause problems.

It was a 2003 Ford E-350 work-van that had an issue starting. Initially we couldn’t quite locate the damage until we traced down the problem in the electrical system. Once we located the break in the wires, we realized the wires had been chewed.

Upon further inspection of the vehicle, we managed to find a chewed fuel line and a few more damaged wires in the harness. This situation was repaired successfully, but we want to make sure that you don’t have gremlins crawling in your vehicle!

How can you avoid this type of situation? Well we’ve constructed a checklist of items that you can go over to prevent your vehicle from harboring critters that can cause an expensive bill.

Solder any damaged wires and wrap properly to prevent a break in the future.

1. Don’t park on grassy plains for long periods of time.
2. Don’t shoo the cat off your warm hood, they can potentially chase off critters for you.
3. Start your vehicle regularly (every 3-4 days), allow it to run for atleast 20 minutes.

If you find yourself victim to a problem similiar to this, be sure to visit your local repair facility for a professional auto repair. Make sure the shop you’re taking it to is certified to handle anything you can throw at them, not every facility can be a dealership alternative like Expert Car Care.

Not everyone can be as cool as lil John with his new digeridoo

But before O-town becomes a college ghost town, you should consider if you’re ready to take that road trip. Is your vehicle of choice ready for a drive?

To help you out, we’re giving away a free oil change to a UCF student. Just follow us on Twitter at @expertcarcares and post the following tweet. One winner will be chosen at random before the weekend! Contest ends on Friday at 11:59 p.m. (Feel free to save it for after Spring Break, too!)

RT: @expertcarcares follow us and RT this message to win a free oil change in #orlando #ucf area! Details here: http://ow.ly/1dFYi

In addition to changing your oil and checking fluids, here are a few other tips to make sure you’re ready for a road trip. While this is by no means a comprehensive list, these are the common problems we see. Safety first!

• Tires – Who wants a tire blow-out on vacation? Check your tire condition and inflation pressure. The quarter test is an easy way to do a quick check at home.
• Brakes – Any squeaking or grinding when you brake? Because these are “normal wear” items, they need to be replaced every so often. Don’t let them wear down too far, or you’ll risk damaging other parts of the car. See our maintenance guide for an explanation.
• Belts & Hoses – Sometimes the small parts of your car can wreak havoc in big ways. These parts, including timing belts and water pumps, are important in a number of ways – cooling, air conditioning, charging. Follow your manufacturer recommendations for replacements to avoid trouble here.

Dirty air filter on the right, clean air filter on the left. Which would you rather?

Vehicle filters are one of the most neglected maintenance item. Why? Well most of the time the filters are enclosed and thus, ‘out-of-sight-out-of-mind’ comes into play. A good mechanic will inspect all of your filters regularly for you and let you know when they need to be changed.

Why change them & will it make a difference? Most of the time, you will not feel any difference changing the filters. However, if you don’t then you will feel a difference and end up having to replace something other than just a filter.

Each vehicle has the basic 3 filters: Engine Air Filter, Fuel Filter and PCV Valve.

• Engine air filter protects your motor from dirt and other possible particles that would cause it to choke.
• Fuel filter protects your engine from contaminates that might be sent through the fuel lines from the gas tank to the motor.
• PCV Valve allows your engine to release pressure build-up inside the motor called blow-by. This also prevents your oil gaskets from leaking.

Some additional filters include:

• Cabin air filter is for your air conditioning system. This blocks elements in the air that might cause discomfort or damage from getting into the cabin of the vehicle
• EGR Canister or Charcoal Canister absorbs gas fumes from the tank as it vents out of the tank during filling. You can read more information on this function at http://www.type2.com/library/fuel/egr.htm.

Now you know what the basic functions of your filters are, it’s time to explain how it helps your engine. Everything in your vehicle works as a chain reaction. The key sends power the the starter, fuel pump and computer. Starter cranks the motor, fuel pump delivers fuel and computer comtrols how the fuel pump regulates the fuel. In that time, the air filter, fuel filter, pcv valve and canister are all being used. If any of those filters are clogged or dirty; it can cause a restriction in the chain.

An example of what type of difference filters make:

• Fuel filter on average is about $20 for the part; if it gets clogged it can damage your $350 fuel pump.
• Air filter on average is about $15-25 for the part; if it gets clogged it can damage your $250 throttle body or worse your $3000 engine.
• PCV Valve on average is about $2-10 for the part; if it gets clogged can cause your Oil Pan ($150), Valve cover ($100) or Timing seals ($300) to leak
• Cabin air filter on average is about $30; if it gets clogged can cause your evaporator core ($600) to freeze or fail prematurely.

Consult your vehicle maintenance manual or visit your Local Auto Repair Shop to find out if you need your filters changed.

Displays the wear on rotors, normal and caliper.

Not many people understand how preventative maintenance can save you a hefty repair bill. Brakes can be a tricky part of the vehicle operation. Vehicles brake systems are made up of a few basic components. It starts with the Master Cylinder, which sends pressure through the rubber brake lines to your calipers. Once the pressure is received by the caliper, it compresses onto the brake pads to create friction on the rotors.

In the picture to the left, you can see what kind of damage a worn or locked caliper will cause. What can you do to prevent this? Well, proper inspection is needed every 3,000-5,000 miles so you can be notified if a technician sees this type of problem developing. Another way to prevent uneven caliper wear is getting your brake fluid maintenanced at the proper intervals. Usually a brake flush is due around 15k – 20k miles, or when the fluid is contaminated. Don’t let this happen to your brake system, make sure you ask your local mechanic to inspect your brakes as soon as you feel something different or wrong.

After putting the vehicle on a lift, he inspected the brakes, suspension and other components. When he initially looked under the hood, he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Vehicle needed minor maintenance; a power steering flush, brake fluid was contaminated and a few oil leaks. Emanuel decided to look under the vehicle for maybe something stuck in the suspension or something rubbing. Still, nothing out of the ordinary.

Emanuel was almost stumped, he decided to take a closer look at the belts. After he removed one of the plastic covers, he smelled a horrible aroma. As he was lowering the plastic cover, he noticed something odd drop on the ground. It was as small as a lug nut but did not belong in to this motor.

How your engine can work as a Mouse Trap

Emanuel grabbed his flashlight and looked inside the casing, there was a mouse stuck between the belts! We’re not sure what the little critter was doing, but we assume he was looking for a warm place to hang out. Unfortunately not only did he not live through this mishap, but he caused enough damaged to the belts that they had to be replaced.

There is no easy way to avoid a situation like this. If you are hearing noises coming from your car you should stop in the nearest Expert Car Care for a free inspection.

To find your nearest Expert, click here to visit our website.

What’s Really Stopping You?

Get a Free Inspection During Brake Safety Week and Avoid Unwanted Surprises

Do you, like many vehicle owners, wait for your brakes to start grinding or the brake pedal
to feel “soft” before heading to an automotive service shop for a “brake job”? There’s no
better time to check the condition of your vehicle’s complete braking system than during
MAP Brake Safety Awareness Week, Aug. 23-29, 2009

Throughout this event, the nation’s leading consumer auto service non-profit organization –
the Motorist Assurance Program (MAP) – wants you to stop at any MAP participating
repair shop for a free brake and related undercar inspection. There’s no better way to
ensure that your vehicle’s braking and other undercar systems are working properly before
heading into the fall and winter driving seasons.

“For very obvious reasons, it’s important to make sure your brake system is working
correctly and that all system components still have plenty of service life to ensure
trouble-free performance,” said MAP President Barry Soltz. “Plus, it’s important to know
what to look out for when it comes to brake components and other undercar parts that
periodically wear out. Many vehicles require service that the average person wouldn’t be
able to detect from daily driving, making it even more critical to perform periodic safety
inspections.”

During Brake Safety Awareness Week, participating shops will offer free inspections,
educate vehicle owners regarding key undercar systems, provide complimentary
automotive troubleshooting materials, and answer consumers’ preventative maintenance
questions. Look for a repair facility prominently displaying its “Motorist Assurance
Program” decal near their entrance or customer waiting area, or find participating stores in
your area by visiting the MAP website at www.motorist.org.

MAP, a non-profit program created by concerned automotive business owners,
manufacturers and associations, requires all of its participating shops to adhere to a strict
set of fact-based vehicle inspection and communication standards. MAP establishes criteria
not only for recommending replacement of worn parts and other products, but also how
these recommendations are communicated to the vehicle owner.
MAP offers tips for choosing and working with qualified repair providers, a list of
participating MAP shops in your area, a repair and replacement recommendations look-up
for vehicle components and more at www.motorist.org.

Earlier this year many know that we opened a new location in Sanford, FL, just off the the hwy 417 and 17-92. It was a rough start from how we took over, but we are happy to be in the area! Slowly we’ve introduced ourselves to the Sanford community, one oil change at a time with great results. Now we’re servicing Postal Service Trucks, Pop Warner Fleet and many more.

As we make our successful steps forward in business, we’ve had quite a few additions to the Expert Car Care team. Including our Expert Car Care License plate $12.95 oil change special. Not to worry, we’ve got new plates on order and we should be running a new special with them soon enough.

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