Good vehicle care for us St. Peter residents has always meant taking our vehicles in every spring and fall for a check-up. Vehicles needed routine maintenance to prepare them for the changes in weather. Today’s vehicles aren’t quite as sensitive to seasonal changes. Older vehicles required different weights of oil for summer and winter. But today’s engines can run on the same oil all year. Both the engines and the oils have been improved.

Antifreeze—or coolant as it’s also called—protects the engine from both freezing and hot temperatures and thus is required by the engine year-round. Modern coolants don’t have to be changed as often as they did in the past, but your owner’s manual has a recommendation for when it should be replaced to extend cooling system life.

Getting a spring and fall checkup at Autotronics of St. Peter in St. Peter for your vehicle is still good auto advice.

First of all, there is a lot of preventive auto maintenance involved in properly caring for a vehicle. Dropping your vehicle off twice a year at Autotronics of St. Peter for a quick inspection and routine maintenance is still part of good vehicle care. The changes in the MN seasons can provide a good reminder that it’s time to get the vehicle serviced, just as they remind us that it’s time to take care of the furnace or air conditioner, purchase school clothes or bathing suits, drag out or put away the coats and boots.

There are other advantages to spring and fall maintenance for St. Peter residents. Springtime signals the advent of warmer weather. Although modern coolant is designed to last longer than one season, it’s a good idea to check it regularly to ensure you have enough. While you’re at it, your vehicle should also be checked for leaks and worn hoses in the cooling system.

Summer is the time when most of us St. Peter residents take vacations or go on road trips. So a spring check-up for our vehicles can lead to a stress-free summer and better memories on the road.

Fall, of course, signals the advent of colder weather in the St. Peter area. This is a good time for a routine battery check. The hot weather of summer takes a toll on battery life – then comes winter. Cranking up a cold engine takes a lot more battery power than starting a warm one. So before that cold weather hits, it’s a good idea to check your battery and replace it if necessary. But your tires aren’t completely adapted to changing weather conditions. If you live where temperatures drop below 45°F (7°C) in the winter, or if your commute frequently takes you through snow or ice, you may want to consider changing to winter tires in the fall.

A fall check-up at Autotronics of St. Peter, just like a spring check-up, can keep you on the road no matter what MN weather brings. Consider how much a worry-free summer vacation and a less stressful St. Peter winter commute are worth to you. Then, spring and fall, reset your clocks, change the batteries in your smoke detectors and take your vehicle in for a check-up.

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

Night driving in St. Peter is not as safe as daylight driving as evidenced by the increased accident rate at night. Much of that is simply because it’s dark outside.

Visibility is important to safe driving. Ninety percent of our driving decisions are based on what we see. And at night, we just can’t see as much as we can during the day. In fact, if you have 20/20 vision during the day, your night vision is only 20/50. To translate, that means that an object you can clearly see 50 feet away during daylight, only becomes visible to you at 20 feet at night.

Reaction time is also related to visibility. St. Peter motorists don’t react to a situation until they see it. So at night, we’re reacting to situations later just because it takes longer to see them. But we don’t have to stop driving at night to stay safe. We just need to practice some preventive maintenance and vehicle care that will maximize our night vision.

The most crucial item that helps us see while driving at night is, of course, our headlamps. St. Peter drivers should ensure that their headlamps are as bright as they can be. Headlamps dim over time, but they do it so gradually that it’s difficult to notice. Because of this, experts recommend replacing headlamps once a year.

That’s good auto advice for St. Peter drivers, but it doesn’t apply to all headlamps. Some vehicles use HID, or high-intensity discharge, headlamps. These are bright headlamps that are designed to last for the entire life of a vehicle. Depending on your vehicle, you may be able to upgrade to HID headlamps. Consult with your friendly service advisor at Autotronics of St. Peter to learn your options.

Most vehicles use standard or halogen headlamps. If you use standard headlamps, you might want to upgrade to halogen, which offers a brighter headlight. Halogen headlamps come in a variety of grades, so evaluate your options the next time you replace your headlamps and upgrade if you want a better light.

It won’t do much good to upgrade or replace your headlamps, however, if your headlight lens is dirty or yellowed. Studies have shown that about 90% of the vehicles on the road have impaired headlights due to dirty or yellowed headlight covers. You should get into the habit of washing your headlights every time you gas up. Simply grab the window washer squeegee, run it over your windows, then swish it across your covers. No cost involved at all.

Plastic headlamp lenses yellow or become hazy over time. If your lenses have this problem, they can be restored with a special polishing process. You may be able to get this done at your St. Peter service center. If not, they should be able to tell you where you can.

Now, what good is a quality headlamp if you can’t see through your windshield? Your windshield needs to be clean and streak-free if you plan on driving at night in St. Peter. You should also keep your windshield washer fluid replenished and your wipers in good condition.

Wiper blades should actually be replaced twice a year. The changing of the seasons at spring and fall, or Daylight Saving Time, can be a good reminder to do this. And while you’re at it, fall is the perfect time to replace your headlamps. Those long winter nights add up to a lot more night driving for people in St. Peter.

Stay alert. Stay awake. And keep those headlamps burning bright.

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

St. Peter residents often ask the question: “Will using premium gas make my car run better?” The answer is simple. But first, let’s talk about what exactly premium gasoline is.

Different grades of gasoline have different octane ratings. Regular gasoline has the lowest octane rating and premium the highest. Most gas stations around St. Peter, MN, also carry a mid-grade that falls in between the two. The octane range for the different grades of gas varies by region due to altitude differences.

Engines require different octane ratings because of design differences. For example, turbocharged engines usually require premium gas.

There’s a sticker on your gas tank filler lid that tells you the minimum octane rating your vehicle manufacturer recommends.

For help identifying the type of gasoline your engine needs, come by Autotronics of St. Peter in St. Peter.

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