All posts by autotronics

Smart St. Peter Drivers Protect Against Overheating

Engines get hot when they run. This heat can build up and damage vital engine parts, so engines need a cooling system to keep them running. Cooling system failure is the most common mechanical failure in vehicles. This is unfortunate, because these failures are usually easy for St. Peter motorists to prevent.

The radiator is the best-known and most recognizable part of the cooling system. Hoses filled with coolant (also known as antifreeze) connect the radiator to the engine. The coolant draws heat from the engine, and then flows to the radiator. Air passing through cooling fins on the radiator cools the coolant. The coolant then cycles back into the engine to start the process over again.

The most critical component of the cooling system, however, is the coolant itself. A mixture of water and coolant/antifreeze helps keep it both from freezing and from boiling away. Either can result in serious engine damage.

Different engines require different types of coolant/antifreeze. The owner’s manual will list what kind a vehicle requires. Using the wrong type or mixing different types of may void the warranty on the cooling system and may damage it as well.

Insufficient coolant can lead to engine failure. Coolant levels need to be checked regularly and topped off as necessary. If coolant levels drop quickly or consistently, the cooling system should be inspected for leaks. Coolant/antifreeze contains additives that protect the radiator and other coolant components from rust, scale and corrosion. Over time, these additives are depleted, so it is necessary for St. Peter drivers to replace coolant at specified intervals. Changing coolant should be part of routine preventive maintenance for any vehicle.

This service is often ignored, though, since old coolant still cools the engine. Vehicle owners don’t realize there is a problem until the system fails. They are left with major repairs and possibly a damaged engine, which could have been prevented with a cooling system service at Autotronics of ST Peter in St. Peter.

If your minivan sends a warning message to check its coolant or if the temperature gauge is reading in the red or hot zone, then the cooling system needs a diagnostic examination. This service is vital and should not be put off since the potential for damage is high.

In an emergency situation, water or antifreeze can be added to your minivan so that it can be driven to a service center for proper car care. For this reason, owner’s manual contains instructions for how to top off insufficient coolant – allow 45 minutes for the engine to cool before attempting to add coolant or water. However, the fluid should be added to the coolant overflow bottle, not to the radiator itself. Removing the radiator pressure cap can result in severe burns.

Topping off in an emergency, however, does not fix the problem. The vehicle should immediately be taken to your St. Peter service center or Autotronics of ST Peter where they can inspect the cooling system, repair any leaks, and clean it if necessary. They can identify what caused the emergency situation in the first place and ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Regular maintenance of a vehicle’s cooling system is just good auto advice for St. Peter car owners. Cooling system service is relatively inexpensive and doesn’t take long at Autotronics of ST Peter. Lack of it, however, can put a vehicle in the scrap heap.

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

Why is My Check Engine Light On?

 

The Check Engine Light strikes fear into the hearts of some St. Peter motorists and is totally ignored by just as many. Just what it means is a mystery to most of us St. Peter car owners.

Let’s get the urgency issues out of the way first. If your check engine light is flashing, that means that something is wrong that could cause vital engine damage. Naturally, you need to get that taken care of right away. If your check engine light is flashing, you shouldn’t drive at MN interstate speeds, tow or haul heavy loads. Take it easy all the way to your St. Peter service center.

Why is My Check Engine Light On?

If the light is glowing steadily, you should keep an eye on it for a day or two. If the light doesn’t go off, schedule an appointment with your knowledgeable Autotronics of ST Peter service professional to get it checked out.

Some more St. Peter information on how the Check Engine Light works may be informative for St. Peter motorists. Most of your engine functions are controlled by a computer, not surprisingly, called an engine control computer. The computer is able to adjust many engine parameters for environmental conditions, engine condition and even the way you drive.

In order to make these adjustments, the computer relies on a network of sensors to provide data. The computer knows the proper operating range for each sensor. When a sensor reading is out of range the computer runs some tests and may turn on the minivan’s Check Engine Light.

A simple example is a loose or missing gas cap. This may cause one of the sensors to read out of range. The computer doesn’t know if it’s a serious condition that caused the reading or just a loose gas cap, so it stores a trouble code and turns on the Check Engine Light.

Now when you tighten up the gas cap the sensor readings will be in the correct range. The computer will keep checking on the report for a day or two. Since a bad reading didn’t come up again, it turns off the Check Engine Light. The computer will also try to make adjustments to compensate for some readings. If it can do so, it’ll then turn off the Check Engine Light.

If the problem can’t be resolved then the light will remain on and you should get your minivan looked at. Your knowledgeable Autotronics of ST Peter tech will plug a scanner into the on-board diagnostic port and read the trouble code stored in the computer. The trouble code will give the technician a starting place as he diagnoses the cause of the problem.

What St. Peter Automotive Service Consumers Should Know

There are some things St. Peter motorists should know about St. Peter car service and repair. First and foremost, Autotronics of ST Peter cares about you and your family’s safety. And we really appreciate your business. Autotronics of ST Peter in St. Peter wants to build a trusting relationship that becomes the foundation for a mutually beneficial experience for years to come.

Building on that foundation, there are some things that would help you understand the auto service and repair business better. First, it can be really hard to fix cars. The days of shade tree mechanics are long gone. The majority of automotive systems are computerized. It takes a lot of training and very expensive equipment to diagnose and repair modern vehicles. The knowledgeable service advisors that work for Autotronics of ST Peter need extensive computer training – not just how to run the diagnostic systems, but also searching for the right parts, networking with other service advisors to help them with a difficult problem and pulling together a job order that makes sure that each step of the process is addressed.

The threshold for getting started as a technician gets higher all the time in MN and there is a huge commitment to on-going training every year. This training takes time and money. It contributes to business overhead. Average St. Peter or Le Sueur drivers may not realize the business and environmental regulations Autotronics of ST Peter must comply with. Of course that costs money too. Like any MN business, overhead is a big factor.

When you go into your favorite Cleveland restaurant you don’t value the meal by what the food would cost at the grocery store. The restaurant has rent, wages, insurance, taxes, utilities, professional fees, equipment, supplies – you get the picture. The restaurant has to charge enough to not only pay for the ingredients, but for all these other things as well while making enough profit to remain in business. If you value the meal and are satisfied with your dining experience, you’ll come back and tell your friends.

It’s the same for Autotronics of ST Peter. The value of its service is not the cost of the parts they replace, but in your satisfaction with the results. If they deliver a good product at a fair price, St. Peter customers are happy to see them succeed as a MN automotive business.

Contact Autotronics of ST Peter to learn more about our extensive auto service training.
You can find us at:
111 Jefferson Avenue
St. Peter, MN 56082
Or call us at 507.934.9290

At Autotronics of ST Peter, we love to see our St. Peter customers whenever they come in, but we would much rather see them three or four times a year for routine maintenance than once a year on a tow truck. We want to work together with you to avoid breakdowns. Tell your Cleveland area friends and family to come in for their important scheduled maintenance too. That lowers our marketing costs and helps keep its labor rates down. That’s good for everyone in St. Peter.

Autotronics of ST Peter appreciates this great review of automotive service from AutoNetTV.