We live such busy lives nowadays: work, social events, running the kids all over St. Peter. Some days it’s all we can do to keep track of everywhere we need to be. That’s why you’ve gotta be organized. Smartphones, calendar apps – we have to keep track of it all.

So let’s talk about schedules. Specifically, automotive service schedules. And particularly, the scheduled services that are sometimes forgotten.

Here is a list of 10 service items that are often overlooked by St. Peter residents. They’re all very important and need appropriate attention. So here we go, in no particular order.

1. Power Steering Service
Be honest; have you ever thought of this on your own? Your power steering fluid gets dirty and builds-up moisture over time. Cleaning out your power steering system means that dirt and gum are removed and your power steering parts are protected from corrosion. Next time you’re in for an oil change, ask your Autotronics of St. Peter service advisor if it’s time for a power steering check-up.

2. Wheel Alignment
When your wheels are out of alignment your vehicle pulls to one side. It’s pretty annoying, but it’s also dangerous. And it causes your tires to wear out really fast, which is an unnecessary expense! Most owner’s manuals suggest you get your alignment checked once or twice a year.

3. Differential Service
Did you even know you had a differential? Well, you do – one, two or three in fact. Differentials are often called gear boxes and they’re part of the drive-train that transfers power from your vehicle engine to your wheels. They don’t need service that often, but you can’t completely forget them. Check with your friendly and knowledgeable Autotronics of St. Peter service advisor.

4. Cabin Air Filter
More and more cars these days have cabin air filters (a great feature, in my opinion) to clean the air in the passenger area where we sit. They filter out dust and pollen. When they’re clogged up, they can get smelly. Change your cabin air filter on schedule to enjoy fresh, clean air, which can also help with allergies.

5. Timing Belt Replacement
Most cars and some vans and trucks driven around the St. Peter area have timing belts. Without going into a lot of detail, let’s just say that your car won’t run without it – period. And if it breaks while you’re driving, it can do thousands of dollars’ worth of engine damage. Check your owner’s manual or speak with your Autotronics of St. Peter service advisor. If you’re approaching 60,000 miles or 100,000 kilometers; definitely look into it right away.

6. Transmission Service
Transmission service is very basic, but it’s often forgotten by St. Peter drivers. Your vehicle transmission needs clean fluid from time to time to keep operating efficiently and avoid pricey repairs.

7. Air Conditioning Service
Most of us don’t think about our air conditioning until it fails on a hot day in St. Peter. If you’re lucky, you just need to add refrigerant. If you’re not, some of the components may have been ruined. Of course, these components are not cheap. Regular air conditioning service at Autotronics of St. Peter in St. Peter adds clean refrigerant which cools and lubricates your air conditioner and conditions the seals.

8. Brake Service
No we’re not talking about squealing, grinding brakes here. We’re talking brake fluid. Over time, the fluid gets a lot of water in it. Because water compresses differently than the brake fluid, your brakes won’t work as well. It may even get dangerous. The water can also rust out brake system components and then your brakes can fail altogether. Check with your Autotronics of St. Peter technician for recommendations.

9. Coolant System
Another thing that’s so easy for St. Peter drivers to forget about: When you don’t change your antifreeze on schedule it becomes corrosive. Fresh coolant contains additives that maintain the pH balance in the coolant. These additives wear out and the fluid in the radiator can actually eat holes in the radiator or hoses. Then you’re stranded – bummer.

10. Fuel System Cleaning
In these times of high fuel prices, fuel system cleaning is vital. Fuel gums up a bunch of parts as it moves from the gas tank and through the engine. A thorough fuel system cleaning at Autotronics of St. Peter in St. Peter will keep clean gas flowing into the engine. Your fuel injectors also get gunked up over time and need to be cleaned. Having your fuel system cleaned on schedule at Autotronics of St. Peter will really help your fuel economy.

There you have it: 10 services that are often overlooked by St. Peter residents. Did you know that a recent survey showed that 90 percent of vehicles on the road have at least one scheduled maintenance service that hasn’t been performed? Considering our busy lives, we’re not surprised. Autotronics of St. Peter can help with any of these services. Give us a call or come see us.

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

Do you like to shop for shoes in St. Peter?
When buying a running shoe, is quality important?
Does durability matter as long as the shoes look fabulous?
Would you rather have one pair of long lasting shoes or two pairs of lower quality shoes at the same price?

Is the warranty important when buying tires?

St. Peter drivers should also think about the safety aspect of tires. The tires do a lot of work – they carry the weight of the vehicle and you and your passengers. You want to be sure they hold the road and provide good traction on MN freeways and surface streets. If you carry heavy loads or tow a trailer on MN highways, the tires need a high load rating.

Ask your friendly and knowledgeable St. Peter tire professional at Autotronics of St. Peter. I think it’s important that St. Peter residents understand the effect of price on a tire’s quality, performance and durability. When I was a kid, my dad would say, “Pay twice as much and buy half as many.”

The same principle applies to tires. The major tire brands that you’re familiar with in St. Peter are known as Tier 1 tires. These tires are high quality and well-engineered. Comparable vehicle Tier 1 tires are usually priced similarly.

Stepping down, you come to private label tires. Some large MN tire store chains carry tires with their own brand. It’s important to know that most private label tires are built by the same Tier 1 companies that you are familiar with – so you are pretty safe in choosing them. To be sure, you can ask your Autotronics of St. Peter tire professional which manufacturer makes their private brand.

The lowest priced tires on the market in St. Peter are Tier 3 tires which are usually imported from China or South America. Since you get what you pay for, you can’t expect a Tier 3 tire to deliver the same performance and durability as the others.

What’s the difference in the tires with high mileage warranties? It’s the rubber compounds and the amount of tread material. As you might expect, you’ll pay more for the longer-lasting tire.

Your tires are the only parts of your vehicle that touch the road. You’re only as safe as your tires are well built. Buy value – not price.

Give us a call.

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

A lot of St. Peter drivers have asked whether or not they should use their severe service maintenance schedule, which is listed in their vehicle’s  owner’s  manual. It can be somewhat confusing, so we decided to consult an expert. Cricket Killingsworth is from QMI/Heartland, a manufacturer of automotive products and fluids. She’s been in the automotive business for over 30 years and is a speaker, a trainer and a writer.

Cricket says there’s so much confusion on this topic because, “Most owner’s manuals actually have two maintenance schedules. Sometimes these are called ‘regular service’ and ‘severe service.’ Sometimes they’re simply called Schedule 1 and Schedule 2. A severe service schedule recommends that things like an oil change, air filter replacement and transmission service be done more often: either in fewer miles or in less time.”

Foreign and domestic vehicle manufacturers create a specific schedule for each vehicle they manufacture. So there isn’t one generic schedule that applies to all vehicles. In addition to your owner’s manual, St. Peter automotive repair centers (including Autotronics of St. Peter) subscribe to information services that provide the auto maintenance schedules for every vehicle – so they can help St. Peter drivers know when to take care of needed services. Below is a typical definition for severe service.

• Most trips are less than four miles/six and a half kilometers
• Most trips are less than 10 miles/16 km and outside temperatures are below freezing
• You drive regularly in very hot MN weather
• The engine is at low speed most of the time (not on the freeway)
• Stop and go driving
• You drive in in dusty or muddy conditions
• You routinely tow a trailer, haul heavy loads or carry a car-top carrier around St. Peter

It’s common sense for St. Peter drivers: Just a few minutes at higher speeds allows the moisture in the oil to evaporate. Very short trips, or trips of less than 10 miles when it’s very cold, don’t allow the engine to heat up enough to get rid of the water. And water in the oil leads to damaging sludge. Also, towing and heavy loads raise operating temperatures and cause fluids to break down faster. Dusty and muddy driving around St. Peter means that more dirt will get past the air filter to contaminate the fuel system and engine oil.

The bottom line is that you need to decide for yourself if the regular or severe service schedule is right for you, based on your driving habits. Look at your owner’s manual or talk with your Autotronics of St. Peter service advisor who can help you know which schedule to follow.

Here is what a fleet manager said recently: “Since city miles are generally tougher on vehicles than highway miles, we use the manufacturer’s severe service schedule as the basis for our preventative maintenance program. We massage those schedules over time, increasing or decreasing the service intervals so that they make the most sense. There is a little bit of art to go along with the science.”

Make an honest evaluation of your driving habits. Unless you do mostly MN highway driving in moderate weather, you’ll likely have a fairly good amount of severe service mixed in. Some St. Peter drivers just want to play it safe and follow the severe service recommendations, rather than analyzing how they drive each month.

Ask us for help evaluating your driving and service needs.

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