Warm weather or cold, St. Peter drivers still need to think about their minivan’s air conditioning. Most St. Peter people don’t service their air conditioning until after it fails. At Autotronics of ST Peter, we can advise you on your ‘s preventive maintenance schedules for air conditiong service, just as we do for transmission service, oil changes and so on.

Maintaining your air conditioning system means that you always have enough refrigerant to properly do the job. Small leaks in the minivan’s air conditioning system allow the refrigerant to escape and the system can’t cool the air as well. We see that a lot at Autotronics of ST Peter in St. Peter.

The refrigerant also contains a critical oil that lubricates air conditioning components, and keeps the seals resilient. Low refrigerant and lubricating oil means that the air conditioning parts will wear out prematurely, and all St. Peter car owners know that air conditioning repairs can be costly. At Autotronics of ST Peter, we recommended that the air conditioner be run regularly, even during winter months, to keep the parts and seals lubricated.

Corrosion is what leads to many air conditioning system failures for St. Peter motorists. The small leaks mentioned earlier also mean that air and water can leak into the air conditioning system. This can lead to rust and dirt in the internal workings of the air conditioning components. This greatly accelerates wear and, ultimately, failure.

Air conditioning service at Autotronics of ST Peter starts with a visual inspection of the components for signs of damage or leaks. The compressor is driven by a belt from the engine, most often the serpentine belt, so it’s inspected for cracks or wear. The air conditioning compressor and other components are checked for proper operation. Then comes the leak test. If a leak is detected, often in a hose or connection, it’s repaired and the system is retested.

Then the old refrigerant is evacuated and the system is recharged with clean, fresh refrigerant. A final test insures that the minivan’s air conditioner is working, and you’re on your way.

How often this should be done varies from vehicle to vehicle. Your minivan owner’s manual will have the manufacturer’s recommendation and, of course, your Autotronics of ST Peter service advisor can tell you. It’s typically every two years.

If you’re not getting enough cool air out of your AC you know something’s wrong. Also, if you hear strange sounds when you turn the air on, there might be a problem with the compressor and you should get it checked out at Autotronics of ST Peter. Replacing a bad A/C clutch in a minivan is cheaper than waiting for it to ruin the compressor.

St. Peter drivers need to be aware that there’s one more thing that isn’t directly related to air conditioning service, but does impact the quality of the air in your minivan. And that’s your cabin air filter. This filter cleans dust, pollen, pollution and other impurities in the air that comes from the heater and air conditioner. The cabin air filter needs to be replaced when it’s dirty. If you don’t it’ll start to smell. Not all vehicles have one, so ask your Autotronics of ST Peter service advisor to check your cabin air filter at the same time they’re doing your air conditioning service.

Most cars and trucks have automatic transmissions, yet a lot of Kasota drivers only have a fuzzy understanding about what a transmission does. Think back to the last time you rode a bike in Kasota. You started out in a lower gear and shifted to higher gears as you went faster. Down shift for hills, stuff like that. Think of your legs as the engine – there’s an ideal speed you can pedal and you change gears to leverage the work you’re doing.

Lower gears for power on hills or for starting out. Higher gears for more speed. That’s what the automatic transmission does – it automatically starts in lower gears and shifts up to higher gears to go faster on MN interstates. And automatically shifts back down to climb Kasota hills, pass or start up again.

minivan automatic transmissions have certainly gotten more sophisticated in recent years. They have more speeds than before: the base is four speeds, five is very common.

At Autotronics of ST Peter, we routinely service transmissions with six speeds and several have seven or even eight speeds. As you can imagine, this means more parts. Any they all have to fit into roughly the same space.

Transmissions are computer controlled these days, with some high end transmissions having two or three computers. Transmissions are engineered to last. But they are also engineered to tighter tolerances. If a portion of the transmission is starved for lubrication, it can lead to failure.

Not enough fluid can starve the transmission or dirty transmission fluid can clog small passages in the transmission, then the lubricant is blocked and can’t get to all the parts to protect them, so they wear out prematurely. The technicians at Autotronics of ST Peter see far too many transmissions that needlessly failed due to neglect.

And, as you can imagine, repairing one of these new transmissions at any St. Peter service center can be quite costly. That’s why auto makers have a schedule for how often you should change the fluid and what type of fluid to use.

It’s really important for Kasota motorists to carefully follow the manufacturer’s transmission service schedule.

At Autotronics of ST Peter in St. Peter, we hope you never become shiftless in Kasota because you didn’t take care of your transmission.

If you’re gonna drive around the Cleveland area, you’ve got to be able to see! So having a good pair of windshield wipers is extremely important. We’ve all experienced the frustration and fear of not being able to see clearly during a storm, or when our windshield is just dirty.

It seems like your wiper blades are always at their worst when you need them the most. But windshield wipers are like most other vehicle parts– they require regular attention in order to work their best.

You really ought to replace your wiper blades twice a year; in the spring and the fall. If it’s going to be a particularly harsh winter in St. Peter, you may even want to get special winter blades in the fall. Winter blades are designed to resist freezing.

Speaking of winter and freezing conditions, if your car has been sitting for a long time and the windshield becomes frozen, don’t use your wipers to clear off snow and ice. That’ll just tear up the blades and cause them to wear out more quickly. It may even damage the wiper motor.

Over time, wiper blades become hard and brittle, and then tear. They also lose their flexibility and just don’t cover the windshield effectively.

Worn wiper blades aren’t just a safety hazard; they can also scratch your windshield. That may require replacing the entire windshield; a big cost for such a little part.

Replace worn blades right away. Your local service center can provide you with a quality replacement blade. They cost about the same as they would at the store; but installation is included at Autotronics of ST Peter.

Of course you also need washer fluid to help your blades do their work. Even though your local St. Peter service center will top off the washer fluid with a full service oil change, it is a good idea to have some extra fluid at home, or in the car if you are on a long trip.

Always use windshield washer fluid. Plain water, even that fancy bottled water, may freeze in the fluid reservoir or on the windshield itself, making things worse. Besides, water won’t do a good job of cleaning your windows.

And remember that some vehicles have two reservoirs: one for the windshield and one for the back window – which may be under the hood or somewhere in the back.

So follow these tips to keep your windshield clear and your eye on the road, and give us a call at Autotronics of ST Peter or come by our shop at 111 Jefferson Avenue, St. Peter, MN 56082. Call to make an appointment at 507.934.9290

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