Let’s Clear Some Things Up (Headlight Restoration)

You know how exposing your skin to sunlight can cause sunburn and other unhealthy things. Sunlight can also create major problems for your headlights. After they’ve been exposed to ultraviolet light, acrylic headlights can yellow and fog due to oxidation. And when that happens, less light can pass through the plastic, reducing the effectiveness—and safety—of your headlights.

It’s not just the UV light that causes headlights to turn cloudy. Road grime and debris gets kicked up and can scratch the plastic, diffusing the light that should pass through them when they’re clear. Plus, when your vehicle was new from the factory, the headlights had watertight seals all around to prevent moisture from getting into them and fogging them up with water vapor. Just like clouds can hide the sun, tiny water molecules can diffuse the light from your headlight bulbs.

Sure, you could buy replacement parts and start fresh. But the good news is many vehicle repair facilities can restore your original headlights to perform like they did when you first bought your vehicle. Here’s how it works:

A technician will protect your vehicle’s paint by either taking the headlights out or by taping off the paint near the headlights and leaving them in place.
Residue is removed from the headlight surfaces by wet sanding to remove the oxidized plastic.
Using special compounds, the technician will buff and polish the surface of the lens so it looks as smooth as glass.
The newly-polished plastic is then sealed with wax or a special sealant designed to keep them operating like new.
If the seals that keep the moisture out of the inside of your headlights have dried out or cracked, they will be restored or replaced to keep condensation from forming again.

Visibility at night is vital for safe driving, and if your headlights aren’t performing up to their potential, the less you’ll be able to see ahead of you.

There are many advantages of having your headlights restored rather than buying new or aftermarket replacements. It’s friendlier to the planet since plastics are made of oil, so it’s reducing the amount of plastic that is manufactured. And it’s usually cheaper to have your headlights restored rather than replaced.

Consider headlight restoration a way to literally recycle those parts of your vehicle. That seems to be perfectly clear!

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

The ?Man-Made? Engine Oil (Synthetic Oil Change)

If you own a newer vehicle, your vehicle’s manufacturer may require that it use synthetic oil instead of conventional oil. Synthetic oils are more stable, don’t break down as easily, and provide better engine protection than conventional oil. All those things can prolong the life of your engine and help it run better.

Imagine the damage that could happen to your engine as it operates at high speeds and very hot temperatures. Oil reduces the friction between the metal parts. That’s why it’s important that it maintains its lubricating properties for a long time, which synthetic oil does better than conventional oil.

Clean oil is better than dirty oil because it has fewer impurities. Synthetic oil is purer because of how it’s formulated and manufactured. Plus, as the outside temperatures change, the ability of oil to operate in those conditions is important.
For example, the colder it gets, it’s important for oil to flow easily to retain its lubricating properties. How thick a fluid is changes in different temperatures, and that thickness is known as viscosity, Synthetic oils are better at maintaining their viscosity throughout temperature changes.

It’s not only newer vehicles that can benefit from synthetic oil. If you have an older vehicle, synthetic oil may offer superior lubricating than conventional. Our technicians can advise you what’s the best oil for your vehicle and how often you need to change it, which may vary from the owner’s manual recommendations. You might find you’re able to change your oil less frequently than you used to with conventional oil.

Yes, synthetic oil is more expensive than conventional, so let us help you decide whether its advantages are worth the difference in price.

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

Braking Good (Brake Drum Replacement)

Maybe your vehicle feels like Breaking Bad. In other words, when you brake, things are bad. You may find it takes you a longer distance to stop, you feel a vibration, or it’s pulsating when you depress the brake pedal, or perhaps your vehicle pulls to one side.

Those can be symptoms of failing brake drums. While a lot more vehicles these days have disc brakes, many vehicles still have brake drums, almost always in the rear wheels. The drum is a cast iron shallow cylinder that surrounds the other parts, including curved brake shoes that press pads against the drum to slow you down or stop the vehicle.

Any time you have things going wrong with your brakes, you should get them fixed soon. Safely operating any vehicle depends on having the brakes be able to slow and stop you dependably. It can make the difference between avoiding a collision and having one.

When you bring your vehicle in, a technician will inspect your braking system. Depending on the wear, drum brakes can be resurfaced or replaced. Sometimes it’s cheaper to replace the drum than to resurface it. It’s important for all the other brake system components to be inspected first and all worn parts replaced.

Most of the time, when you have your drums resurfaced or replaced, the brake shoes should be replaced at the same time. You have brakes at each end of your axles, and the same brake service should be done at both ends so that both sides can have consistent, even stopping power.

Your brakes can save your life. If their braking power is bad, you owe it to yourself and others on the road to let us help make them good again. Good and safe.

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