Oakville Auto Repair

Well winter tires have some advantages over sporty summer tires or even all season tires, mainly they remain softer when the temperature dips below 7 Celsius, and in Ontario we are below that after labour day at night until the end of April. back to the topic "whats involved when mounting my winter rims and tires?"  Well at My shop Mark's Auto Service we always perform a courtesy inspection which includes a short road test. Why? This allows us to test for any warning lights, listen for any noises and get a feel for the brakes and handling. Then drive the vehicle into the shop, for a lift on the hoist, here we will remove the summer wheels, visual inspect the brakes, summer tires and record our findings on a tablet DVI digital inspection, then we will inspect the winter tires, the air pressure, check the winter tire balancing on our Hunter Road Force machine and adjust as necessary, then install and torque the wheels to manufacturer Specificat ... read more

Mrs. Jones Asks: Why does my book say change my oil at 8,000 Kms and my trusted repair shop is recommending it sooner at 6,000kms?Mark Says: Well I find that the oil change interval (time and KMS) between oil changes in the book are great if you don't plan to keep your car after the warranty runs out. Why? Well motor oil is the main lubricant and also a cleaner for you internal engine parts, and when oil is driven up to and over 8,000kms/ 6 months we find that deposits build up inside and can cause issues later on. New technology in engine designs like: Variable Valve Timing, Twin Cam overhead valves, Turbo Charging, Direct Fuel Injection, VCT transmission, Hybrid engines are all designed to give us: more power, use less fuel, reduced tail pipe emissions; All rely on clean quality oil and filter, and maybe some help from additives. Some ... read more

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Seasonal car care planning and preventative maintenance can save you money and time as the weather changes. Article from Mobile1 Timely maintenance does more than keep your vehicle running smoothly. It will save you money in both the short- and long-term because you are improving your vehicle's trade-in value, getting the most out of its mileage, and preventing costly repairs down the road. In addition to keeping cash in your pockets, performing routine maintenance and using quality products can help drivers stay safe through even the nastiest of conditions. Maintenance plays a big role in staying safe - according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about one in eight crashes can be attributed to mechanical defects due to neglected vehicle maintenance.To avoid costly repairs and ensure your safety, prepare for harsh conditions in advance by following a few simple guidelines:Early Fall ... read more

How did we ever get along without air conditioning in our cars? It's a feature we take for granted until, suddenly, it's blowing hot air. In the past few years, many owners have discovered that fixing an inoperative air conditioner can cost a few hundred dollars or more, depending upon the make and model of vehicle. The reason is that the old standby R-12 refrigerant, trade named DuPont Freon, has been replaced by R-134a. Touted as being environmentally safer than its predecessor, R-134a has been standard since '94. If your older vehicle needs major repairs to the air conditioning system you can expect to replace refrigerant and the oil in the compressor in addition to the old components. You also may need to install a retrofit conversion. Do not allow anyone to mix refrigerants. They're not inter-changeable. You cannot add R-134a to your older air conditioner without first flushing the system. Further, according to Car Care Canada, some substitutes ... read more

Expires

Canada’s long, harsh winters not only add stress to our lives, but also to the systems that keep our vehicles safe and reliable and that means a spring makeover should include more than just cosmetics. While your immediate focus will likely be on restoring your car, van, SUV or truck’s exterior and interior to pristine condition, make sure you also give its mechanical systems a careful once-over to ensure they’re ready to deal with the hot summer weather ahead, particularly if its an older or high mileage vehicle. You can have your service technician do this for you – and many service shops offer spring service special deals - but by following some basic procedures you can spot potential problem areas yourself and then have them dealt with if necessary by a pro. You should have been keeping your vehicle washed regularly to help keep rust at bay, but if you haven’t you need to do so before checking it over as it will be easier to s ... read more

Everyone knows that without gas your vehicle won’t run. Most people also know that oil is important. Engine oil lubricates, cleans, and cools critical parts of the engine. The oil's additives also help to suspend dirt, where it can be drained at the next oil change. The life-blood of your engine, engine oil consists of various weight mineral or synthetic oils combined with additives for engine protection. Oils may come in single or multi-grades and meet various oil performance standards. Multi-grade oils usually start out as single-grade base oils, such as SAE 10W. Then viscosity-index improvers are added to modify viscosity. The end result is an SAE 10W-30 oil capable of flowing like a 10W oil at cold temperatures and a 30W oil at higher temperatures. Check your owner’s manual to ensure you are using the proper grade of oil for your vehicle. Most people neglect the other fluids in their vehicle, these include: ... read more

Drive Clean Modernization Drive Clean plays an important role in safeguarding Ontario's air quality by identifying excessively polluting cars and trucks with emissions problems and requiring them to be repaired. While today's vehicles are cleaner through advances in emissions technology, all vehicles require regular maintenance to keep them operating properly. Learn more>> Over the past decade, Drive Clean has tightened emissions standards and focused the program on the vehicles that are most likely to pollute. On January 1, 2013, Ontario introduced changes to the emissions test to make the Drive Clean program even better. The new test takes advantage of the computerized monitoring equipment in today's technologically advanced vehicles The modernized Drive Clean program will provide significant benefits by: Providing a faster, more accurate ... read more

What happens when your kids grow out of the backseat and into the driver's seat? Who's looking after their vehicles? Results from consumer research recently conducted clearly shows today's youth are neglecting their vehicles. This poses a safety threat to themselves, as well as others on the road. We are facing a generation gap when it comes to vehicle maintenance. Today's driving youth (18 to 24 years) don't know what their cars need and are not taking care of their vehicles. Youth are less likely to change their oil every 5,000 km than more experienced drivers. Many young people (22%) had no idea when to change it at all or wait until the oil light comes on. Only 45% of youth bring their vehicle in for maintenance at least once a year versus 76% of people over 50. 22% never bring it in or only when it breaks down and 34% wait for a warning light or a strange noise. 10% of young drivers reported that they never put air in their tires and an additi ... read more