Let’s talk about transmission service. It can be easy for Little Rock car owners to forget about getting their transmission serviced because it doesn’t need it very often. It’s easier for Arkansas auto owners to remember to change the engine oil – you know, every 3,000 miles or 5,000 kilometers. But proper transmission servicing keeps your truck running smoothly and helps us car owners avoid expensive repairs down the road.
The transmission undergoes a lot of stress. The grit Little Rock car owners see in used transmission fluid is actually bits of metal that wear off the gears in the transmission. In addition to that, the transmission operates at very high temperatures. Usually it’s 100 to 150 degrees higher than engine temperatures. Those high temperatures eventually cause the transmission fluid to start to break down and lose efficiency.
As the fluid gets older, it gets gritty and doesn’t lubricate and cool the truck transmission as well – leading to even more wear. The fluid can actually get sludgy and plug up the maze of fluid passages inside the transmission. At best, your transmission won’t operate smoothly. At worse, it could lead to pricey damage.
When your transmission is running properly, it transfers more power from your engine to the drive wheels, and improves fuel efficiency. That’s why auto manufacturers recommend changing your transmission fluid at regular intervals. Your owner’s manual has a schedule for transmission service and, of course, your honest Parkway Automotive service advisor can tell you what your car maker recommends.
Hot and dusty Little Rock area conditions; towing, hauling, stop and go driving and jackrabbit starts all increase the load on the transmission and its internal temperature. That means Little Rock drivers with these types of transmission requirements need to change the fluid more often. A good rule of thumb is every 35,000 miles, 55,000 kilometers or two years. If your automobile manufacturer suggests more frequent intervals or if you’re driving under severe service conditions around Conway, Arkansas, you will need to change it more often.
Most Little Rock auto service centers (including Parkway Automotive) have the ability to perform a transmission service while you wait and the cost is quite reasonable. It’s downright cheap when you think about how much a major transmission repair can cost! Your honest Parkway Automotive service advisor will know the right type of transmission fluid to use. If it’s getting to be time to have your transmission serviced, do your truck a favor and have it done. If not this time, then on your next service stop.
Today in our Parkway Automotive blog, we’re going to talk about following recommended service intervals. Your truck isn’t the only aspect of your life in Little Rock 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 Little Rock takes a hit and it inevitably costs more money.
So why is it so hard to remember to follow regular preventive maintenance on our trucks? Probably a couple of reasons. One is that automotive maintenance items just don’t seem that urgent. All our Little Rock 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, Little Rock people don’t need to memorize their truck owner’s manuals. You can let your Parkway Automotive advisor remind you of the guidelines established by vehicle manufacturers: he has checklists of what the manufacturer recommends and can find potential problems when he inspects your truck. You really can rely on Parkway Automotive professionals to help you make good automotive decisions.
For Little Rock drivers who want to be more proactive with their truck care, here are some simple ways for Little Rock 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 truck go? Air and fuel. Air filter replacement, fuel filters and fuel system cleaning. Of course there are more items, but if Little Rock car owners remember to take their car or truck in to Parkway Automotive for these things, their service advisor will help them with the rest.
And if you don’t follow recommended service intervals? You get lousy MPG, your truck 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.
Service to a vehicle’s power steering system is a critical part of preventive maintenance for wise Little Rock auto owners. This system provides power to the steering wheel so you can turn it with ease. Without power steering, all of the power to turn your truck’s wheels would have to come from you.
The central element of most power steering systems is a pump. The pump pressurizes the power steering fluid, and it is this pressure that provides auxiliary steering power. A belt connected to the engine usually powers the pump, although some systems use an electric pump. Some newer trucks have an electric motor that directly provides the power steering boost.
Pressurized fluid moves from the pump to the steering gear through a high-pressure hose. A low-pressure hose returns fluid to the pump. Power steering fluid cleans, cools and lubricates the system.
Little Rock drivers should remember that fluid levels in the power steering system should be checked at every oil change. Low fluid levels can damage the pump, which can be expensive to repair. Low fluid levels may also indicate a leaky hose in the power steering system, so it is a good idea to inspect the hoses, especially if your fluid levels are low.
Power steering fluid breaks down over time, losing its effectiveness. It also gradually collects moisture, which can lead to corrosion in the steering system. So the fluid needs to be replaced occasionally. You should check with your owner’s manual or ask your honest Parkway Automotive tech to learn how often this fluid should be replaced.
When your fluid is replaced, your honest Parkway Automotive service specialist will remove the old fluid and replace it with new. Power steering fluids are not all created equal; the fluid has to be compatible with your hoses and seals. Your Parkway Automotive service advisor can ensure that you get the right fluid for your vehicle, or you can consult your owner’s manual.
Signs that your power steering system is in trouble can include the following: a steering wheel that is hard to turn, auxiliary steering power that cuts in and out, or a whining sound coming from the pump. Also, Little Rock motorists who are not topping off the power steering fluid on schedule may hear squealing coming from the engine belts.
To protect your steering system should never hold the steering wheel in the far right or far left position for more than a few seconds at a time. This can wear out your pump in a hurry.
Preventive maintenance for your steering system primarily involves the power steering components, but your steering system has other parts that can wear out or be damaged by rough Arkansas driving conditions. Such parts include the ball-joint, idler arm, steering gear, steering-knuckle and tie rod. Signs that they are in need of attention include play in the steering wheel, a vehicle that wanders, uneven tire wear and a steering wheel that is off-center. Little Rock auto owners should have their alignment checked annually. This check-up can reveal bent or damaged steering components.
For answers to other questions about your steering system, or for auto advice on any type of vehicle maintenance, check with the team at Parkway Automotive. We can steer you in the right direction when it comes to quality car care.
Remember snow tires? They were basically just regular tires with big, knobby lugs to get them through deep snow. They were loud and rode hard, and Little Rock drivers couldn’t wait to get them off the car. Then along came television advertisements for “all-season” radials. Arkansas motorists ran out and bought some and we thought we were done with snow tires forever.
Tires have come a long way since then. Modern winter tires sold in the Conway, Arkansas area are much better designed for the wide range of dangerous conditions that come with Arkansas winter weather. They are made with a rubber compound that helps them stay flexible in cold weather. Regular tires become hard and stiff at Little Rock temperatures below 45°F, which reduces their traction. That’s a key concern in winter, especially with snowy or wet Little Rock conditions. But it also means that Little Rock motorists are better off with winter tires in cold weather even when it’s dry.
The tread design on winter tires has been improved to actually move snow, slush and water. The lugs and grooves actually throw packed snow out of the tread as the tire rotates. This means the tread is open and ready to move more snow when it rolls around again. Summer tires can actually pack up with snow, which makes them more dangerous than a bald tire.
Many winter tires use a micro-pore compound that lets the tire bite into ice and snow. They have wider grooves around the tire that help expel snow. They have a rounder casing to better cut into the surface of snow. Modern winter tires available at Arkansas tire shops also have sipes, or thin slits cut into the tread. The edges of these sipes can grab ice and snow so that the tire retains traction on almost any surface. The sipes also help to expel water and slush from the tread. In short, a lot of time and engineering has gone into improving winter tires.
The all-season tire that is popular among Conway, Arkansas drivers is actually a compromise between summer and winter performance. This means they give adequate performance for Little Rock drivers in either season, but aren’t great in either. Summer tires give great performance in hot weather, but lousy performance in winter. Little Rock car owners need to put more thought into their tire choices these days, but that also means they get a lot better performance for their bucks.
If you want the performance that new winter tires can give you, you should have them properly installed at your Little Rock service center or Parkway Automotive. It’s best to purchase four snow tires and put them on all the wheels of your vehicle. But if you only want two, you need to put them on the rear of your vehicle, even if you drive a front-wheel drive vehicle. Little Rock auto owners always want to put the tires with the best traction on the rear of the vehicle.
Imagine this: You take a corner on an icy Conway, Arkansas road and your rear end starts to slide. What happened is that the front end slowed for the turn, but the rear end hasn’t figured that out yet. If you have high-traction tires on the front of your vehicle, that makes the problem worse. You’re slowing the front end faster and harder, which makes the back end fishtail even more.
Putting the higher traction tires on the rear will give Little Rock auto owners more control for turns, regardless of the type of vehicle driven. Of course, that makes putting high-traction tires on all of your wheels even smarter. Why not give all of your tires the best traction they can get? Some Little Rock assume that four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive vehicles only need winter tires on two wheels. Why? Doesn’t it make sense to give all four wheels the same level of traction and control? Four-wheel or all-wheel drive cannot compensate for poor traction.
Another false assumption held by many Little Rock drivers is that if you have traction control and anti-lock brakes, you won’t need winter tires. Traction is important for good acceleration, steering and stopping. And tires provide traction. Traction control and anti-lock brakes can only improve on that traction. The better the traction, the better the traction control and anti-lock brakes will work. In other words, the better the tires, the better those systems will work for Little Rock motorists.
A Canadian law requires all passenger vehicles, rental cars and taxis registered in Quebec to have winter tires on all four wheels from November 15th until April 1st.
If you’re shopping for winter tires and live where there is a lot of snow in Arkansas, look for a mountain with a snowflake in it molded into the tire’s sidewall. This symbol means the tire complies with severe snow standards. All-season tires have an M&S stamped on the sidewall. M&S stands for mud and snow.
For more important auto advice about tires for any Arkansas season, talk to your honest Parkway Automotive tire professional. They can help you settle upon the right tire for your area and for your driving needs. For the best performance from your tires, whatever the season, don’t forget preventive maintenance. Keep your tires up to pressure for best durability, safety and performance, but don’t overinflate them. Remember, good car care provides the safest road for all of us Little Rock auto owners.
