Oil changes are probably the most recognized service on a vehicle. Almost all St. Peter residents know about them. But do we know enough?

Several decades ago, oil changes were fairly standard: every three months or 3,000 miles or 5,000 kilometers. But recent advances in both engine technology and oil quality have led to longer oil change intervals.

Delayed or skipped oil changes are a problem for St. Peter residents because they lead to the build-up of oil sludge in your engine. Oil sludge forms when engine oil breaks down, which happens with both time and miles. Obviously, driving will take its toll on engine oil, but the oil also breaks down even as the vehicle just sits in the garage. This is why oil change intervals are listed in both time and distance traveled, and the phrase “whichever comes first” is applicable.

Oil sludge is essentially petroleum jelly. Imagine this stuff squishing around in your vehicle engine, pushing into small engine passageways and blocking passage of oil to vital engine parts, shortening your engine’s life expectancy.

To prevent sludge, you have to get your oil changed regularly, as often as the manufacturer recommends. Check your owner’s manual for every vehicle you own to know the interval for each one. Don’t assume they will be the same.

If you tow a trailer, haul heavy loads, make a lot of short trips around St. Peter, usually engage in stop-and-go (or around-the-town) driving, drive in cold or hot MN weather, or drive in polluted or dusty conditions, you may need to change your oil more frequently. Check your vehicle’s owner’s manual for a “severe service” recommendation.

If the manual doesn’t give you the advice you need, talk to your friendly and knowledgeable Autotronics of St. Peter service advisor. He will be able to answer any questions about preventive maintenance or vehicle care that you may have, including how often to change your oil.

St. Peter residents need to get the right weight and type of oil recommended for their vehicles. More and more are using synthetic oil in their vehicles. Synthetic oil typically lasts longer and is more resistant to sludge formation than conventional motor oil. But it is also more expensive. So it can be tempting for St. Peter residents to ask for conventional oil, but if you replace synthetic oil with conventional oil, you will have to change your oil more often to prevent sludge build-up. In the end, you’re probably not saving money at all.

Also, your engine may not be designed for the conventional oil. Check your owner’s manual before replacing synthetic oil with conventional.

Talk to your Autotronics of St. Peter service advisor for more information.

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

Having trouble with your fuel system? Bring your vehicle into Autotronics of St. Peter for a check up.

In today’s Autotronics of St. Peter auto post, we’re talking about fuel system cleaning. The first thing to know is how important it is to have a clean fuel system. St. Peter residents need fuel to go, and the cleaner the fuel system, the more efficiently the fuel will burn. That means more power and better mileage .

A clean fuel system saves money for St. Peter drivers at MN gas stations. We guess you could say it all starts and ends at the pump. One of the most important things St. Peter residents can do to keep their vehicle fuel system clean is to buy good quality gas. Major brands have detergents that keep gum and varnish from rapidly building up in the fuel system.

So buying cheaper gas in MN can actually be more expensive for St. Peter drivers in the long run. Now, most cars on MN roads are more than five or six years old. That means they’ve had time for some dirt and rust to start accumulating in the fuel tank. This junk needs to be filtered out of the fuel before it hits your vehicle engine. That’s the fuel filter’s job.

When the fuel filter is clogged, the dirty fuel will bypass the filter and go on up to the engine where it can clog fuel injectors and get into the cylinders. So St. Peter residents should have their fuel filter changed when recommended. Check your owner’s manual or ask your friendly and knowledgeable Autotronics of St. Peter service advisor if your fuel filter is due for replacement.

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

Hello St. Peter resident! You would never like to drink a glass of mud, right? Well, your vehicle feels the same way. It needs a steady supply of clean fuel in order to run well and deliver good fuel economy. The fuel filter’s job is to clean dirt and rust out of the fuel before it gets to your engine. A clogged fuel filter can actually choke off the engine so that it won’t start or run. Some fuel filters have a bypass valve that allows fuel to go around the clogged filter so your vehicle will still run. But, then the contaminated fuel can clog your fuel injectors and allow particles into your engine.

A vehicle with a partially clogged fuel filter might run well around St. Peter, but sputter and strain on the because it’s starving for gas. There are two things that affect how often you need to replace the filter. They are: where you drive in MN and the gas you buy. If you drive a lot on dirt or gravel roads in rural MN, your fuel filter will have a harder time keeping the fuel clean.

And, we hate to say it, but buying the cheapest gas from bargain stations sometimes means dirtier fuel that’ll clog the filter sooner. Major brands tend to be cleaner and certainly have higher levels of detergent additives.

Of course, manufacturers recommend intervals for changing the fuel filter. But, it’s a little more complicated than that for St. Peter residents. Some manufacturers stopped listing recommended intervals for fuel filter replacement or have very long intervals like every five years or 80,000 miles (130,000 kilometers). So you may need to look to other sources for recommendations. Vehicles older than six or seven years are especially at risk because they have had time for dirt and rust to build up in the fuel tank. A clean fuel filter keeps the gas flowing. Even a partially clogged filter puts added strain on the vehicle fuel pump. That can shorten its life and result in repair.

As is often the case, spending a little money now on something as inexpensive as a fuel filter can save money for St. Peter residents down the road by improving and preventing repairs. At Autotronics of St. Peter in St. Peter, we can check your fuel filter. It is better than fixing a burned-out vehicle fuel pump or ruined fuel injectors.

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