At Autotronics of ST Peter we’ve had a lot of St. Peter, Kasota, and Saint Peter clients 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 on them. It looks like it’s going to keep heading in that direction for a while. With high fuel prices, a lot of Cleveland folks are putting off buying a new car. Thanks to AutoNetTV, we can provide you with a video answer to this critical question.

So let’s say you’re one of the average car owners in the Cleveland area; you’ve got a nine year old car with 80,000 miles on the odometer. What can you to do 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 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 astute St. Peter motorists stay on top of their recommended car maintenance. The maintenance schedule in some auto manufacturer’s owner’s manuals runs out at 60,000 miles or so: how do St. Peter auto 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 for the first 60,000 miles you can just keep getting it done at least every 15,000 miles after you hit 60,000 miles. 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 detrimental sludge to build up. Talk to your knowledgeable Autotronics of ST Peter service professional.

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 MPG from decreasing;
2. it prevents costly repairs, and;
3. they can postpone purchasing new vehicles.

Having the oil changed may be the most critical thing motorists 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 knowledgeable Autotronics of ST Peter tech a chance to spot problems in the early stages so that you can fix them before they get expensive. 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 your tech 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 car owners 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 as a preventive measure.

Of course you also want to still look marvelous in your older car as you drive around Cleveland. 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

Myths passed around our St. Peter MN community start with a grain of evidence and are then built up with a lot of imagination and very elastic logic. And the internet is a breeding ground for automotive myths. Some bloggers recall the minivans of yesteryear and declare their modern decedents to be virtually maintenance free and that anyone who says otherwise is out to rip you off.

To get the truth about auto myths you hear around the St. Peter area, come over to Autotronics of ST Peter.
You’ll find us at 111 Jefferson Avenue, St. Peter, MN 56082.
Give us a call at 507.934.9290 to make an appointment for your next auto service.

Let’s examine a couple of the more popular rants and look at the truth behind them.

The first one is that the chassis no longer needs lubrication for suspension, steering and the driveline. They declare that anyone who has charged you for lubrication is a charlatan.

The truth on which this myth is based is that many new cars come from the factory with sealed joints and cannot be greased. However, there are still some grease points on many cars around St. Peter. A grease fitting may have been installed in conjunction with a repair. And most trucks and truck-based SUVs driving in St. Peter still require chassis lubrication. This is because they are more heavy duty and proper greasing is still required to keep them going.

Another common rant you’ll hear around St. Peter is that modern cars don’t need tune-ups. That depends on your definition of a ‘tune-up’, which has changed as technology has progressed. Before engine control computers, electronic ignition and fuel injection, a tune up meant replacing mechanical parts that wore out. Autotronics of ST Peter would manually adjust fuel and air mix and timing. When these adjustments were off, spark plugs would foul and need to be replaced.

This definition just doesn’t apply to modern vehicles. Service centers like Autotronics of ST Peter generally consider a tune-up to be the major service visit, recommended by your manufacturer, every 30,000 miles or so.

Of course you can’t lubricate a sealed joint. Of course you can’t adjust a carburetor if your car doesn’t have one. You probably don’t need to change spark plugs every year if your manufacturer says they can go 30,000 miles. What are these bloggers getting so worked up about?

The danger with these modern-day myths, is that they prevent people in our local St. Peter community from taking care of the routine preventive auto maintenance that manufactures recommend. Check out this partial list of things you still need to do to take care of your car. How many of them are really any different today than they were 20 or 30 years ago?

Oil change, cooling system service, transmission service, tire balancing, tire rotation, wheel alignment, suspension service, power steering service, proper tire inflation, brake service, differential service, battery maintenance, engine air filer, PCV valve, breather element, fuel filter, belts, hoses, timing belt, windshield wipers . . .

You get the picture. Your minivan is still a machine that needs to be maintained. And, hey, your service advisors at Autotronics of ST Peter have always adapted to keep pace with automotive technology. Next time you come across an angry voice about your car care, talk to your St. Peter service advisor at Autotronics of ST Peter, or do some research of your own.

Today in our Autotronics of ST Peter blog, we’re going to talk about following recommended service intervals. Your minivan isn’t the only aspect of your life in St. Peter with recommended intervals: Let’s start with twice yearly dental check-ups and regular physical exams. How about laundry, watering the lawn and paying the bills?

Now, what would happen if you didn’t follow these intervals? Well, you’d get more cavities. You’d may not discover health conditions that could be more effectively treated with early detection. And you’d have to wear dirty clothes, be embarrassed by your brown lawn and have your utilities shut off.

Clearly, there are some things in life that we have to take care of regularly. If we don’t, there are negative consequences. Our quality of life in St. Peter takes a hit and it inevitably costs more money.

So why is it so hard to remember to follow regular preventive maintenance on our minivans? Probably a couple of reasons. One is that automotive maintenance items just don’t seem that urgent. All our St. Peter neighbors can see our dead lawn, but no one knows how dirty our transmission fluid is. It’s easy to put off. The other reason is that we’re just not as familiar with automotive maintenance, so it’s a bit intimidating.

From a practical standpoint, St. Peter people don’t need to memorize their minivan owner’s manuals. You can let your Autotronics of ST Peter advisor remind you of the guidelines established by auto makers: he has checklists of what the manufacturer recommends and can find potential problems when he inspects your minivan. You really can rely on Autotronics of ST Peter professionals to help you make good automotive decisions.

For St. Peter drivers who want to be more proactive with their minivan care, here are some simple ways for St. Peter motorists to remember what has a maintenance interval.

First: Fluids. If it’s liquid, it’s got a replacement schedule. Oil, transmission fluid, coolant, power steering fluid, brake fluid, differential fluid, etc.

Then think tires. They need air, rotation, balancing, and alignment. And while you’re thinking tires, don’t forget brakes and shock absorbers.

And what makes your minivan go? Air and fuel. Air filter replacement, fuel filters and fuel system cleaning. Of course there are more items, but if St. Peter car owners remember to take their car or truck in to Autotronics of ST Peter for these things, their service advisor will help them with the rest.

And if you don’t follow recommended service intervals? You get lousy gas mileage, your minivan doesn’t run as well, your safety is compromised and you’ll spend more money in the long run. So it’s the same as everything else: The quality of your motoring life takes a hit and it ends up costing you more.

Reason enough for me to follow recommended service intervals.