At Autotronics of St. Peter we’ve had a lot of St. Peter customers asking how they can make their vehicles last longer. These questions are actually a reflection of a trend that’s been building for several years in MN. The median age of personal vehicles is now over nine years. And 33 percent of all vehicles on the road have over 75,000 miles (120,000 km) on them. It looks like it’s going to keep heading in that direction for a while. With high fuel prices, a lot of MN folks are putting off buying a new car. 

So let’s say you’re one of the average in the St. Peter area; you’ve got a nine-year-old car with 80,000 miles (130,000 km) on the odometer. What can you do to make it last another year or two?

Let’s start with the premise that there’s no reason that a modern car can’t run for 200,000 miles (320,000 km) with proper care in St. Peter. The engineering and manufacturing quality is there.

Of course, some parts will wear out along the way, but there’s no reason for a catastrophic meltdown if St. Peter drivers stay on top of their recommended car maintenance. The maintenance schedule in some vehicle manufacturer’s owner’s manuals runs out at 60,000 miles (100,000 km) or so: how do St. Peter vehicle owners know what to do when they’re way past that?

It is a challenge, for example: If a service is recommended every 15,000 miles (24,000 km) for the first 60,000 miles (100,000 km), you can just keep getting it done at least every 15,000 miles (24,000 km) after you hit 60,000 miles (100,000 km). But, it gets more complicated because older engines lose some efficiency, are dirtier inside and are just more stressed. That means it’s very important to not miss any scheduled services. Skipping just one oil change at Autotronics of St. Peter in St. Peter, for example, leaves an opportunity for sludge to build up. Talk to your service advisor at Autotronics of St. Peter for more details.

So all the usual things like oil changes, transmission service, coolant service, brakes, power steering, fuel system cleaning – all that stuff needs to be maintained. People responsible for fleet vehicles around St. Peter are sticklers for scheduled maintenance. They know that money spent on maintenance saves them three ways:

1. it keeps efficiency from decreasing;
2. it prevents repairs, and;
3. they can postpone purchasing new vehicles.

Having the oil changed may be the most important thing St. Peter drivers can do. A full-service oil change at Autotronics of St. Peter means that all of your other fluids get topped off so they are never low enough to cause damage. It also gives your friendly and knowledgeable Autotronics of St. Peter service advisor a chance to spot problems in the early stages so that you can fix them before they get worse. And it gives you a touch point with an automotive professional along the way to remind you of things that aren’t scheduled as often – things like differential service and timing belt replacement.

If you live in the St. Peter area and have an older vehicle, you may need to follow the severe service maintenance schedule. Check your owner’s manual and talk with us at Autotronics of St. Peter. Conditions inside an older engine, transmission and cooling system can arguably be considered severe – so shorter intervals could well be called for.

And, the team at Autotronics of St. Peter strongly encourages St. Peter drivers to consider using high mileage formulation fluids. They’re fluids like engine oil, transmission fluid and coolant that are formulated for older engines. They have special additives to clean deposits, and to condition and restore seals and gaskets that dry out with age. Some St. Peter auto owners start using higher mileage formulations at around 50,000 miles (80,000 km) as a preventive measure.

Of course you also want to still look marvelous in your older car as you drive around St. Peter. Salt and road grime wreak havoc on your paint job and can lead to body rust – so regular washing is very important. Also, a good quality waxing is recommended at least twice a year.

Give us a call for more information:

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

Modern St. Peter vehicles have several computers on board that control all kinds of things like engine functions, transmission shifts, traction control, anti-lock brakes, stability control, emissions – and on some vehicles, even steering, braking and the throttle.

Think about that for a minute – things that used to be controlled by simple mechanical connections now have electronic controls that rely on computers, software and sensors. It’s no wonder that when something goes wrong with their vehicle it can be pretty complicated for St. Peter drivers to track down the source of the problem.

To help your service advisor at Autotronics of St. Peter figure out what’s wrong, your vehicle is equipped with on-board diagnostics. The Check Engine light comes on to tell you there’s a problem and the engine management computer stores a trouble code. Your friendly and knowledgeable Autotronics of St. Peter technician connects a scan tool to your vehicle’s diagnostic port and retrieves the trouble codes as well as other important data.

Trouble codes are like clues for the technician to follow as he diagnoses what’s wrong with your vehicle. In a way, it’s like going to your St. Peter doctor with a problem. She’ll run some additional tests and gather the information she needs to make a diagnosis and form a treatment plan. How much a vehicle diagnosis costs at Autotronics of St. Peter in St. Peter depends on how much time it takes to sort out the symptoms and find the underlying problem.

Give us a call.

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

Most MN auto owners know that their vehicles need regular preventive maintenance like changing the oil and filters, rotating the tires and refilling the washer fluid. But did you know that your air conditioning system needs routine maintenance as well? Taking care of your air conditioning system can extend its life and prevent costly repair bills.

Why is it important for St. Peter area drivers to get routine maintenance on their air conditioning system? First, the refrigerant contains an added lubricant. As the refrigerant circulates through the air conditioning system, its parts are lubricated. This constant lubrication keeps the parts functioning well. But over time, this lubricant is used up, and without it, the parts will eventually seize up and fail.

St. Peter folks should understand, however, that the air conditioner will continue to pump out cool air even without the lubricant, so you won’t know the system is sick until it actually dies. So good vehicle care includes regularly checking the refrigerant and lubricant in your vehicle air conditioning system and replacing it if needed.

The second reason your air conditioning system needs preventive maintenance is that air and water can get into the system. Air, water and the contaminants they contain will reduce the efficiency of the air conditioning system and can cause corrosion of the system’s parts. Keeping the air conditioning system clean is a practice that will extend its life and keep you from losing your cool on hot St. Peter days.

How often should you get a routine car air conditioner inspection? It varies from vehicle to vehicle. Check your owner’s manual for the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation.

Here’s a good piece of advice from Autotronics of St. Peter for MN vehicle owners that will extend the life of their air conditioning systems: You should run your air conditioner in the winter every once in a while. This circulates the refrigerant, which lubricates the seals. That way, they won’t dry out during cold St. Peter weather.

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