ring y HEADING for the open road now that Daylight Savings Time is here? For troublefree holiday driving spend some time bringing your vehicle's maintenance schedule up to date. Charles Taylor of Taylormotive Service Ltd., the voice behind much of the advice that appears in pring Tuneup Win $300 off any automotive services that _ Taylormotive provides ft Mame__ Address | Phone Enter at 1139 Lonsdale Avenue TAYLOR E * SERVICE LTO. 174 Pemberton Ave. N. Van o draw date March 24/2000 the News’ Mr. Fix-it col- umn, suggests you take care of the following items. A comprehensive vehicle safety inspection would need to be performed to cover every area of vehicle mainte- nance so nothing is over- looked. A complete tune up should combine essentials of preventive maintenance ser- vice, performance analysis and adjustments. Also the emissions should be checked. The best guide to a compre- hensive tune up is found in the vehicle’s owner’s manual. Air filters need to be inspected regularly and repiaced as often as needed, regardless of time or mileage. Contaminated filters can increase emissions and fuel consumption. Fuel filters should be replaced annually or at every tune-up. Especially fuel- injected cars. Fuel injectors should be serviced every 48,000 km of driving. Poor iajector spray pattern can cause hard start- ing, poor mileage and exces- sive emissions. City driving requires the engine oil and filter to be “changed every 5,000 km or- every three months. If you drive regular short wips of 5-10 km, you should: have the oil changed at least two to three times a year regard- less of mileage. Replace the — engine coolant on a regular basis; this will prolong the life of the radiator, water pump and other cooling system compo- nents. Most new car mainte- nance schedules request coolant changes every three years or 80,000 km. Many professional technicians con- sider that too long and rec- omntend every two years or 40,000 km. If you wait too long the various additives wear out in the antifreeze and the result can be expensive internal cor- rosion in the radiator, heater core, engine and gaskets. The antifreeze should be a 50/50 inix, even in summer; this allows the coolant to run up to 130 C without boiling over. The pressure cap should be tested along with the ther- mostat for proper operation. Radiator hoses need to be ZAUTO tL, checked for bulges or cracks, Rubber hoses deteriorate with = age and heat. Manufacturers recommend replacing hoses every four years Fan ‘belts need to be inspected for cracks or fray- ing. The typical life span of a serpentine belt is about five years or 80,000 km. Serpentine belts are more flexible than V belts they run cooler and last longer. V belts should be replaced every three years or 55,000 km. Automatic transmissions need to be serviced more often than sometimes speci- fied in the owner’s manuals. Some vehicles today have transmissions that are elec- tronically shifted; these trans- missions have solenoids, wiring and switches that require clean filtered fluid. Vehicles driven on local mountain roads work harder than normal, creating exces- sive heat build up that can cause the transmission oil to break down. Change the transmission fluid and filter every 28,000~48,000 km or every two years. This is the best preventative maintenance for prolonged automatic trans- mission life. Wheel alignment should be checked once.a year to ensure that the vehicles sus- pension and steering systems are within preper specifica- tions. A poorly aligned vehi- .cle can create excessive com- ponent and tire wear, exces- sive fuel consumption and poor drivability. The tires need to be inspected for proper pres- sures and tread depth for safe North Vancouver driving. The tires on your vehicle need to have enough tread depth to disperse water on the roads to prevent hydroplaning. . New tires have a measure- ment of 11/32 to 15/32 of an inch. If the tires are worn down to 3/32 of an inch or less they should be replaced for safe wet road driving. Winter driving can be hard on your vehicle if you have been driving on salted roads throughout the winter. The undercarriage of you vehicle should be steam cleaned and treated with a rust repeltent to prevent cor. rosion. Make sure that the radia- tor core fins and air condi- tioning evaporator .core fins are cleaned. This will help prevent external corrosion: affecting the performance of — both units; Wash and wax your vehi- cle to keep the paint protect- ed throughout the spring and summer, this will help keep the dirt from biting into the paint and make it easier to wash and keep clean. And now. you can enjoy the open road. with worry free driving. cic SERVICE BXPERT Don’t wait! 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