AUTONET TV

Knowledge is Power (Battery Testing)

It’s likely happened to you once or twice.  You head to your vehicle, open the door, turn the key and… lo and behold, your battery is dead. Now you’re stranded, may have to get a jump or a tow, and you’ll definitely be late for wherever you were headed. While your vehicle may sometimes give you warning signs, other times it doesn’t.  

As many as one out of every four vehicles will have to have its battery replaced in the next 12 months.  If you don’t want to be surprised the next time your battery fails, consider having it tested.

There are different types of battery testing.  One measures voltage. Another checks for something called conductance.  By sending a certain type of electric current into the battery, it can measure how healthy your vehicle’s battery is.  There’s also a load test.  It checks how your battery is working while drawing power from it.  Newer test equipment found in professional service facilities can check for a number of different conditions using different methods. 

Most vehicle batteries last around five years.  It all depends on how you drive and in what conditions.  Extreme heat and cold will take their toll on a battery and shorten its life.  Stop-and-go city driving will also place batteries under more stress than smooth, continuous driving.  

So, what are some signs that your battery is starting to show its age? Well, the battery or alternator light may illuminate after you’ve started the vehicle or come on while you are driving.  If you’ve left lights or some equipment on and drained the battery, that can be very hard on it.

Because the battery is one of your vehicle’s most important components, it’s a good idea to have us check it regularly. In addition to examining the battery itself, a technician will also inspect the terminals and cables for corrosion, damage, fraying wires and loose connections.  It’s smart to have us do it before any extreme weather changes are expected or before long trips. In this case, knowledge truly is power.

Lakeside Certified Auto
38525 Lakeshore Blvd
Willoughby, OH 44094
(440) 946-0076
www.lakesidecertifiedauto.com

A Sticky Brake Situation (Parking Brake Service and Maintenance)

We've all been there.  You park your vehicle on a steeper than usual hill and worry about it rolling down while you're running your errands.  So you decide you'll use the parking brake.  When you get back, you release the parking brake, hit the ignition, put it in gear and—uh, oh—you can feel the parking brake is still on.  It's stuck.  What do you do now?

Welcome to the world of infrequently-used parking brakes.  Yes, they do stick for several reasons. It's common for components to corrode and get locked up.  Sometimes if you have applied it extra hard, it can jam.  Could be a rusty cable, could be a spring that doesn't return the brake to its disengaged position.  Some pieces just break when they're stressed for the first time in a while. A caliper or the pivot arm it's on can also stick.

There are a few things you can try to unstick it.  Carefully rock your vehicle by putting it first in drive and then reverse.  You have to be careful doing that, though, because sometimes you can damage the transmission.  You can try working the parking brake control a few times to see if that will loosen the corrosion.  If you can't unstick it, you can try driving slowly a short distance to a repair facility near you.  Sometimes it won't cause damage to the brakes but it depends on how tightly the parking brake was applied and what was stuck.  You may also have to have your vehicle towed to a repair facility.

In any case, once you've seen these symptoms, have your vehicle brakes looked at by a professional who can fix the root of the problem.  Better yet, don't let your vehicle get in this condition; regular maintenance and inspections by a trained technician should prevent you from getting in a jam somewhere thanks to a stuck parking brake.  You could use a "brake" like that.

Lakeside Certified Auto
38525 Lakeshore Blvd
Willoughby, OH 44094
(440) 946-0076
www.lakesidecertifiedauto.com

What Willoughby Customers like About Us at Lakeside Certified Auto

A big part of the service we provide at Lakeside Certified Auto for our Willoughby customers is education. We want you to feel confident with your service decisions.

And we're always open to questions from our valued Willoughby area customers. Even though we try to be proactive in our Lakeside Certified Auto automotive education, we sometimes get busy fixing vehicles and need a reminder. Please, just ask.

We've found our Willoughby customers like the service reminders. They've grown to trust that our recommendations are based on the vehicle manufactures’ published maintenance schedules and that Lakeside Certified Auto is not just pulling them out of the air.

We know that people in Willoughby live a busy life with a lot more to think about than wondering if it's time to replace the PCV valve on their vehicle. Part of our Lakeside Certified Auto service process is checking the vehicle manufacture's schedule to make sure we don't overlook service.

We hope OH drivers appreciate their courtesy inspection when they come into our Willoughby facility for service. If we find something unexpected, it's good to know, and if we don't find anything wrong, you get a little peace of mind.

You know, customer satisfaction is very important to us at Lakeside Certified Auto. We want to run a professional and friendly Willoughby automotive service operation. If we do, you'll keep coming back and recommend us to your friends.

Give us a call at (440) 946-0076.

Lakeside Certified Auto
38525 Lakeshore Blvd
Willoughby, OH 44094
(440) 946-0076
www.lakesidecertifiedauto.com

Oh, Stop! (Disc Brake Service)

Every time you drive your vehicle, you wear down your brakes just a little bit.  And after a while, that adds up.  Gradually, your stopping power isn't like it used to be.  Since brakes are one of your vehicle's most important safety features, it just makes sense to keep them performing well.

Most vehicles have disc brakes.  One key component, as the name suggests, is the disc.  Most vehicles have discs on their front and rear wheels.  The discs (also called rotors) are made of metal, and each rotates with the wheel hub.  Your brakes also have pads that make contact with the rotors when you press down on the brake pedal, and the friction stops your vehicle.

After many, many stops, that friction wears down both the pads and the discs and reduces their ability to stop the way you need them to.  The discs may also become uneven from all the heat they generate, and your brakes won't stop as well as they used to when they were newer. 

Some signs that your rotors need attention include vibration at the wheels when you stop, discolored rotors (the metal looks blue), excessively hot rotors, or grooves in the metal.  If you see any of these signs, it's time to bring in your vehicle for us to inspect your brakes. 

A technician will measure the thickness and trueness of the rotors and check the surfaces for wear.  If they need to be replaced, they'll be done in pairs, so if a front rotor is bad, the other front rotor will also be replaced. Usually, your brake pads will be replaced at the same time.  You can ask your service advisor if higher-performance brakes would benefit you.

When your vehicle is at the shop, the technician will check other components of your brake system to make sure they are operating safely. Brakes are vital to the safe operation of your vehicle.  Keep them well maintained so they can be there when you need them.

Lakeside Certified Auto
38525 Lakeshore Blvd
Willoughby, OH 44094
(440) 946-0076
www.lakesidecertifiedauto.com

Muffler: Victim of Winter (Muffler Repair)

So you almost got through the winter until, one day, your muffler started sounding like a dragster, loud and obnoxious.  It's not surprising.  All that road salt and brine can cause rust to punch holes in a muffler, and that should raise a big, red warning flag about the safety of your vehicle.

One big concern is carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas that can drift into your cabin if your muffler is leaking. You've probably heard about people whose home furnaces have leaked carbon monoxide and overcome families inside.  Carbon monoxide can first cause you to feel dizzy and nauseous.  It can even render you  unconscious—even kill you.  So if your vehicle's muffler is leaking that gas, well, it's nothing to mess around with.

Oh, and how about that noise? You may get a ticket since many municipalities have laws against noisy exhausts. 

Your muffler may be making a clunking or rattling sound when the engine's running or it may be spewing thick exhaust smoke.  All of these symptoms are telling you to get to your vehicle service facility soon.  A technician may find it's the muffler or another part of your exhaust system that is coming apart or is busted. 

Sometimes the repair can be as simple as replacing a section of pipe or clamps, but sometimes you'll need to replace more components.  Your service advisor can recommend several different options to try to help you meet your performance and budgetary needs. 

You'll drive out with a vehicle that doesn't sound like a teenager trying to hotrod the family car, is a whole lot safer and sounds a lot less obnoxious in the process.

Lakeside Certified Auto
38525 Lakeshore Blvd
Willoughby, OH 44094
(440) 946-0076
www.lakesidecertifiedauto.com