Monthly Archives: May 2014

Keep Your St. Peter Car Breathing Free: Engine Air Filter


Hey St. Peter auto owners – this is something really amazing: For every gallon of gas your minivan burns, it uses 12,000 gallons of air. All of that air has to be filtered to keep your engine clean.

That’s like a hundred gallons of air every block! The engine air filter is just another example of a very important but inexpensive part that has to do a tremendous amount of work. And when it works, everything goes well. But, when it doesn’t, well, it can lead to costly problems. Of course, your vehicle manufacturer recommends how often to change your air filter. But like most service intervals, where and how you drive your car in MN affects when your filter needs to be changed.

Dusty conditions around Cleveland or polluted city driving means you’ll need to change your filter more often. Your knowledgeable Autotronics of ST Peter service professional can check your filter for you. In fact, it’s often a routine part of an oil change.

When you think about it, a clogged air filter won’t allow as much air through as a clean filter. Your minivan needs this air to efficiently burn its fuel, giving you better fuel economy and performance.

Dirtier filters don’t work as well as clean ones. A filter can only hold so much, after that, it allows dirt to pass right into your engine. Air filters come in all shapes and sizes. They also come in different grades. There are high performance air filters available for most cars. These high performance filters are a little more costly in St. Peter, but they increase horsepower and may improve fuel economy to boot.

So it’s key for St. Peter motorists to have their air filter checked. If it needs replacing, it doesn’t cost very much at Autotronics of ST Peter in St. Peter and it should easily pay for itself in better fuel efficiency before your next oil change.

Stop by Autotronics of ST Peter at 111 Jefferson Avenue, St. Peter, MN 56082, and we’ll take a look at your air filter for you. Feel free to give us a call at 507.934.9290 to make an appointment.

Autotronics of ST Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290

Keep Your St. Peter Car Breathing Free: Engine Air Filter

Hey St. Peter – this is something really amazing: Your vehicle uses 12,000 times as much air as fuel when you drive it. All of that air has to be filtered to keep your engine clean.

That’s like 100 gallons (380 liters) of air every block! The engine air filter is just another example of a very important but inexpensive part that has to do a tremendous amount of work. And when it works, everything goes well. But, when it doesn’t, well, it can lead to problems. Of course, your vehicle manufacturer recommends how often to change your air filter. But like most service intervals, where and how you drive your vehicle in MN affects when your filter needs to be changed.

Dusty conditions around St. Peter or polluted city driving means you’ll need to change your filter more often. Our trained professionals at Autotronics of St. Peter can check your filter for you. In fact, it’s often a routine part of an oil change.

When you think about it, a clogged air filter won’t allow as much air through as a clean filter. Your vehicle needs this air to efficiently burn its fuel, giving you better fuel economy and performance.

Dirtier filters don’t work as well as clean ones. A filter can only hold so much; after that, it allows dirt to pass right into your engine. Air filters come in all shapes and sizes. They also come in different grades. There are high performance air filters available for most vehicles. These high performance filters cost a little more, but they increase horsepower and may improve fuel economy to boot.

So it’s important for St. Peter drivers to make sure and have their air filter checked. If it needs replacing, it doesn’t cost very much at Autotronics of St. Peter in St. Peter and it should easily pay for itself in better fuel economy before your next oil change.

Autotronics of St. Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290
http://autotronicsstpeter.com

 

St. Peter Air Conditioning Service

Working up a sweat is a great thing to do in a gym around St. Peter, but not in your car. When St. Peter motorists’ car’s AC System has a problem, they’ll often feel it right away. The question is, how long do you put up with it? You know, the old comfort versus cost dilemma. But a more comfortable drive around St. Peter has a lot of benefits, and keeping the AC System well maintained can help prevent expensive repairs.

A common cause for AC failure is water and air in the system. The system does not work as well with air in it. And water can cause rust that leads to damage of the A/C components. Also refrigerant, the stuff that makes the air cold, can leak out, reducing the efficiency of the system, making it work harder to try to cool the air. That is why periodically evacuating the air conditioning system and recharging it keeps the proper amount of clean refrigerant in the system for St. Peter motorists so it cools better and lasts longer.

St. Peter drivers should also run the air conditioner regularly, even in the winter, so that it lubricates itself and keeps the seals from drying out. The seals can crack and that leads to leaks. Your automobile manufacturer’s owner’s manual will have recommendations for how often to service your air conditioner. Some service centers also have this information as part of their computer databases. Your knowledgeable Autotronics of ST Peter tech can give you more information.

Autotronics of ST Peter
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
507.934.9290

Of course, if your AC currently isn’t working right, then now is the time to get it checked. Many service centers in St. Peter such as Autotronics of ST Peter can inspect and test your air conditioning and offer evacuation and recharge services. This goes a long way to avoiding having to bring your air conditioner in for expensive repairs.

Recent environmental laws have stopped the manufacture of Freon, a refrigerant that was common in cars made before 1993. There is a very limited supply of Freon so the price is very expensive in MN. It may not be worth its weight in gold, but it probably is worth its weight in silver. If you have an older vehicle that uses Freon, you may want to consider having it retrofitted to use the new EPA-approved R134a refrigerant. It will pay for itself in the long run.