Archive for November, 2015

Auto Videos for Little Rock Drivers: Wiper Blade Options

Thursday, November 26th, 2015

Wiper blades are critically important to Little Rock car owners for good driving visibility and safety. When it’s time to replace your wiper blades, there are a number of different wiper blade designs and grades. Little Rock car owners should always use at least the design or grade that came with their vehicle.

If you live in Arkansas where there is a lot of wet weather, flying insects, or do a lot of highway driving, you may want to upgrade to a more advanced design or premium quality wiper blade. Your honest Parkway Automotive technician can share the options available for your vehicle and help you decide which wiper blades are best for you.

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Parkway Automotive
501-821-6111
708 Kirk Road
Little Rock, Arkansas 72223

Parkway Automotive Vehicle Maintenance Tips and Videos: Tire Replacement Overview

Friday, November 20th, 2015

Tires are a significant purchase so knowing when tires should be replaced is important for Little Rock motorists. Tires will just wear out with normal use. The depth of the tread on your tire determines how well it will stop, start and steer – especially in wet conditions. 4/32th of an inch of tire tread is considered a safe amount of tread.

Uneven tread wear can be a symptom of other problems and simply replacing your tires will not prevent the same uneven wear from happening to the new tires. We can review your tires for excessive or uneven wear. Unusual wear may lead to further examination of steering, suspension or alignment issues. We can help with necessary repairs and with getting you the right tires for your needs.

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Parkway Automotive
501-821-6111
708 Kirk Road
Little Rock, Arkansas 72223

Gear Up: Transmission Service at Parkway Automotive in Little Rock

Wednesday, November 18th, 2015

The transmission system in your vehicle allows you to change gears. Lower gears are power gears. They get your vehicle moving and get it up hills. Higher gears get the vehicle up to speed and get it rolling faster. If you have a standard transmission, then you have to do the work of shifting gears yourself. But with an automatic transmission, the vehicle shifts gears on its own. It automatically starts out in low gear and automatically shifts to high gears as it gets rolling. Again, it will automatically shift to a lower gear to climb hills or when you need a burst of speed.

How does it know when to change gears? Today’s automatic transmissions are computer-controlled. The computer gathers information about what the vehicle is doing, and changes the gears as needed.

Automatic transmissions are becoming more sophisticated all the time. More gears, or “speeds” are being added. Almost all vehicles have four at least speeds. Five or six is common. Some car makers are even increasing to seven or eight – up to ten. Adding gears has a lot of advantages for Little Rock motorists: it improves fuel efficiency and increases performance.

But there is a drawback for Little Rock drivers: more gears equals more parts and a more complex transmission system. Plus, all those parts need to fit into the same space as older, less complex transmissions. This means that today’s transmissions are engineered to much tighter tolerances. In other words, they demand meticulous care from Little Rock auto owners. Transmissions are designed for durability. But that durability can be compromised if they aren’t given proper care.

That’s why changing transmission fluid is such a critical part of preventive maintenance for Little Rock drivers. Transmission fluid lubricates the transmission and keeps it in good working order. But if the fluid runs low, transmission parts will wear out quickly or suffer costly damage due to increased friction. The transmission can even fail.

Dirty transmission fluid can clog the small passageways in the transmission, blocking lubricant from reaching all of its parts. Again, this can lead to increased wear, damage or failure.

New transmissions aren’t cheap. Repairing them isn’t cheap either. But changing transmission fluid is fairly inexpensive for Little Rock auto owners at Parkway Automotive. That’s why responsible car care includes maintenance on the transmission system at Parkway Automotive. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that periodic fluid changes aren’t just good auto advice, they actually pay for themselves by preventing pricey transmission repairs.

The Parkway Automotive Guide for Little Rock Drivers: Causes of Wheel Misalignment

Saturday, November 7th, 2015

When properly aligned, all of your wheels are pointed in the same direction. Your vehicle will track true and handle the way it is designed. Little Rock drivers often associate our wheels being “knocked” out of alignment with an event like a major crash, hitting a pothole, curb or some other object. While these can certainly take your wheels out of alignment, the bumps and bounces of everyday driving take their toll on wheel alignment as well. Your car can lose alignment over time with just normal driving.

When your wheels are out of alignment, the team of automotive professionals at Parkway Automotive in Little Rock can return your wheels to the factory settings. Most owners’ manuals suggest an automotive analysis every year or two.

Give us a call

Parkway Automotive
501-821-6111
708 Kirk Road
Little Rock, Arkansas 72223